Research and analysis

Determination of metal background reference concentrations: feasibility study

An examination of the feasibility of setting metal background reference concentrations for the added risk approach in the Water Framework Directive.

From:
Environment Agency
Published
1 May 1999

Documents

Determination of metal background reference concentrations: Feasibility Study

Ref: LIT 1040

PDF, 52.1 MB, 163 pages

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Details

New water quality standards proposed by the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) for metals that are ‘specific or other polluting’ substances form the background to this project, whose purposes are two-fold: to compare natural concentrations of metals in UK waters with the proposed standards; and to establish what this entails for the ‘added risk’ approach to water quality assessment advocated by the WFD. This report then makes a series of recommendations based on the consequences of applying these standards to the UK regulatory regime.

Published 1 May 1999