2. Work Programme

2. WORK PROGRAMME

Three projects (MW1-3) were initially identified by the EEA to be undertaken by the ETC/IW during 1995 and subsequently two additional projects (MW4-5) were brought forward from the 1996 programme for an earlier start.

2.1 Project MW1 - Water Resources Quality and Quantity. General Approach to Assessment

This project will establish the detailed requirements of European Union legislation and International Conventions in terms of:

• water types (surface, groundwater, coastal and marine)
• matrix (water, sediment or biota)
• determinands
• methodologies
• frequency of monitoring
• location and density of monitoring sites
• quality control procedures
• data treatment and storage

2.2 Project MW2 - Inventory of Water Resources Monitoring Networks

This project will determine the extent and structure of current monitoring networks and practices across the EEA area and assess how well they meet the identified requirements and how individual countries may differ reflecting the national priorities.

2.3 Project MW3 - Design of a Freshwater Monitoring network for the EEA Area.

This project will use the findings of MW1 and MW2 and will address the design and development of a European-wide water quality and quantity network based wherever possible on existing networks to provide high quality, reliable and comparable data for the purposes of the EEA's objectives and work programme.

2.4 Project MW4 - Development and Establishment of the European Water Quality Monitoring Network and Databases.

The initial work on this project has focused on reservoirs, their usage and associated water quality problems .

2.5 Project MW5 - Key Water Resource Issues

This project is starting with a review of the issues in arid and semi-arid areas.

Within this programme there are a number of products required which need to be consistent with the Agency's requirements for aggregated information, ready for use by policy makers, planners, developers and reformers. The Agency is committed to producing sound environmental information, analysing and assessing environmental data from all available sources and making the results known through many, various outlets. The partners in the consortium forming the European Topic Centre on Inland Waters support the Agency in achieving its objectives.