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• It should be possible to apply Water Quality Standards, as required by the WFD,
within a TMDL approach. The development of load thresholds would be required
to assess those pollutants potentially resulting in a cumulative impact on water
quality or ecosystem health. This is system specific (i.e. to discharge point and
sensitive species’ etc.).
• Diffuse pollution ‘hotspots’ can be targeted using the TMDL approach. This is
consistent with the risk-based approach identified within the WFD.
• Source apportionment is central to the successful implementation of a TMDL and
is identified within the WFD directive as a means of managing pollution.
• Many elements of the TMDL process are similar to those that are applied with
River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs), thus it may be possible to integrate
TMDL targets and procedures into RBMPs.
• SEPA’s diffuse pollution screening tool and proposed diffuse pollution monitoring
strategy are broadly compliant with the assessment and monitoring tools
promoted with the TMDL approach.
In summary, elements of the TMDL approach may have relevance to managing diffuse
pollution, particularly in relation to providing a planning framework for identifying and
implementing measures to address diffuse pollution pressures. Subsequent papers
in this conference provide further details of the TMDL approach.
RIVER BASIN MANAGEMENT PLANNING
A RBMP must be produced for each river basin district. These plans set out the
characteristics, pressures and impacts of the district, including a list of the waterbased
protected areas and an economic assessment of water services. They
must also provide a summary of monitoring carried out and the consultation and
participation opportunities given to interested parties. Finally, they should list the
environmental objectives to be met and summarise a programme of measures
designed to deliver those objectives.
The programme of measures within each RBMP will consist of a combination of the
most cost effective measures that will include:
• controls under the CAR regime delivered by SEPA;
• regulatory regimes operated by other responsible authorities;
• economic instruments such as agricultural support and forestry grants; and
• voluntary measures such as initiatives to improve habitat quality and education
initiatives, for example, to address urban diffuse pollution.
The river basin planning process is an ongoing one which protects, improves and
promotes sustainable development and use of the water environment between each
published RBMP (Figure 3). There is flexibility within river basin planning which will
ensure that objectives set within each RBMP are achievable and affordable, and that
the plans are able to consider strategic trends, drivers and issues affecting the water
environment (SEPA, 2005).
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