3. Surface water quality monitoring - summary: Luxembourg

Luxembourg has a land area of 2,590 km² and a population of about 390,000 inhabitants (1992). The main rivers in Luxembourg are the Moselle, the Sûre and the Alzette.

The Administration of the Environment is responsible for chemical surface water monitoring. The Hunting and Fishing Department is dealing with the biological inventory of running and standing waters as well as with fishery and police control. The Department collaborates with the Department of Hydraulic Management of the Technical Service of Agriculture and of the Ponts et Chaussées.

Luxembourg has reported on two river monitoring programme (R1 and R2) and one lake monitoring programme (L1). The R1 programme is a general physical-chemical assessment programme covering the main rivers of the country, totally 217 sampling sites. The sampling frequency is 1-13 times a year. The R2 programme has been operating since 1972 and is based on biological assessment of river quality (macroinvertebrates, fish and, occasionally, plankton and macrophytes). Samples are taken in the main rivers and their principal affluents, especially those with fishery interests. Sampling frequency depends on the weight of the pollution; heavily polluted rivers are controlled nearly every year, while waters with a fairly good quality are controlled every 3 to 5 years. Surface waters are classified according to the Belgian Biotic Index. The L1 lake monitoring programme covers 10 sampling sites in 3 lakes. Twentysix physical, chemical and microbiological variables are measured with a frequency of 8 times a year.

Table 3.9: National surface water monitoring programmes of Luxembourg.

AE: Administration de l'Environnement; AEF: Administration des Eaux et Forêts; SCP: Service Chasse et Pêche