Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy

Abstract:

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has highlighted as a key concern the decline in high ecological quality river sites. Such waters are indicators of largely undisturbed conditions and reflect natural background status or only minor distortion by anthropogenic influences. These sites tend to be located in the upper portions of larger river catchments, and constitute lower order streams in the main. Small water bodies therefore form the greatest proportion of high status waters. High status water bodies are protected under several tiers of European and National legislation. The key piece of legislation for the protection of all waters is the Water Framework Directive or WFD (2000/60/ EC).