European Union Water Framework Directive Research Articles

A new diatom index to assess ecological quality of running waters: a case study of water bodies in western Anatolia

Diatoms are an important part of aquatic biodiversity and the main component of phytobenthos. They play a key role in aquatic ecosystems and indicate water quality. The European Union Water Framework Directive requires that phytobenthos be used for the ecological quality assessment of water. This study evaluated the ecological status of various watercourses in the western Mediterranean basin of Turkey using a multivariate approach and presents a new trophic index Turkey (TIT) based on diatom assemblages. Twenty-five running water bodies were seasonally monitored for biological and physicochemical analyses from summer 2014 to summer 2015. A total of 102 species belonging to 22 genera were recorded. Cymbella excisa Kützing, Gomphonella parvula (Kützing) Rabenhorst, Ulnaria ulna (Nitzsch) Compère, and Cocconeis communis f. placentula (Ehrenberg) Chmielevski were the most commonly found species. A canonical correspondence analysis was used to examine the relationship between species and environmental factors. The most effective explanatory factors, including nitrate nitrogen, electrical conductivity, altitude, total nitrogen, orthophosphate, and calcium carbonate significantly influenced the ecological preferences of diatom species in the ecosystems. TIT values ranged between 1.53 in Kaya creek and 2.73 in Dalaman stream (A8). Ecological status of water bodies was assessed using an ecological quality ratio based on trophic index Turkey (EQR-TIT) for each of the stations. EQR-TIT ranged from 0.44 in Dalaman stream (A8) to 0.99 in Kocabük creek during the study period. TIT had a high correlation coefficient (R2=0.77) with log total phosphorus and may be an appropriate diatom metric to assess the ecological status of water bodies.

Monetary assessment of the recreational benefits of improved water quality – description of a new model and a case study

The European Union Water Framework Directive (WFD) has created a demand for comparing the benefits and costs of the remedial measures. A major part of the benefits from improved water quality relate to the increased recreational value. However, there is a lack of easily operative and widely applicable quantitative methods to assess the benefits of improved water quality for recreational use. We present a new model to link physical indicators of water quality, water feasibility indicators for different recreational uses, individuals’ perceptions concerning the current feasibility of water for recreational purposes and monetary measures of water-related recreation benefits. The model has been applied to nine lakes, three rivers and one large coastal area in Finland. In this paper, we present the principles of the method and the results from one case study. In Finland, the method has been applied for the economic analysis required in the WFD.

A Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis from the River Clyde – the first record of this invasive, non-native species in Scotland

The remains (probably a moult) of a female Chinese mitten crab were found in the freshwater River Clyde. This is the first report of a Chinese mitten crab from the wild in Scotland and is well outside the previously recorded range of the species in Great Britain. The origin of this specimen remains enigmatic but this finding has potentially serious implications for the Clyde catchment, the biota of which is recovering from centuries of poor water quality and structural modification. Work is now required to determine whether the Clyde has been colonised by the Chinese mitten crab and, if so, to establish the size of the resident population, its associated threat to local biodiversity and the implications for river management under the European Union Water Framework Directive.

Towards the review of the European Union Water Framework Directive: Recommendations for more efficient assessment and management of chemical contamination in European surface water resources

Water is a vital resource for natural ecosystems and human life, and assuring a high quality of water and protecting it from chemical contamination is a major societal goal in the European Union. The Water Framework Directive (WFD) and its daughter directives are the major body of legislation for the protection and sustainable use of European freshwater resources. The practical implementation of the WFD with regard to chemical pollution has faced some challenges. In support of the upcoming WFD review in 2019 the research project SOLUTIONS and the European monitoring network NORMAN has analyzed these challenges, evaluated the state-of-the-art of the science and suggested possible solutions. We give 10 recommendations to improve monitoring and to strengthen comprehensive prioritization, to foster consistent assessment and to support solution-oriented management of surface waters. The integration of effect-based tools, the application of passive sampling for bioaccumulative chemicals and an integrated strategy for prioritization of contaminants, accounting for knowledge gaps, are seen as important approaches to advance monitoring. Including all relevant chemical contaminants in more holistic “chemical status” assessment, using effect-based trigger values to address priority mixtures of chemicals, to better consider historical burdens accumulated in sediments and to use models to fill data gaps are recommended for a consistent assessment of contamination. Solution-oriented management should apply a tiered approach in investigative monitoring to identify toxicity drivers, strengthen consistent legislative frameworks and apply solutions-oriented approaches that explore risk reduction scenarios before and along with risk assessment.

Effect of Fe (III) on Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata at circumneutral pH in standard laboratory tests is explained by nutrient sequestration.

The complex chemistry of iron (Fe) at circumneutral pH in oxygenated waters and the poor correlation between ecotoxicity results in laboratory and natural waters have led to regulatory approaches for iron based on field studies (US Environmental Protection Agency Water Quality Criteria and European Union Water Framework Directive proposal for Fe). The results of the present study account for the observed differences between laboratory and field observations for Fe toxicity to algae (Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata). Results from standard 72-h assays with Fe at pH 6.3 and pH 8 resulted in similar toxicity values measured as algal biomass, with 50% effect concentrations (EC50) of 3.28 mg/L and 4.95 mg/L total Fe(III), respectively. At the end of the 72-h exposure, however, dissolved Fe concentrations were lower than 30 μg/L for all test concentrations, making a direct toxic effect of dissolved iron on algae unlikely. Analysis of nutrient concentrations in the artificial test media detected phosphorus depletion in a dose-dependent manner that correlated well with algal toxicity. Subsequent experiments adding excess phosphorus after Fe precipitation eliminated the toxicity. These results strongly suggest that observed Fe(III) toxicity on algae in laboratory conditions is a secondary effect of phosphorous depletion. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:952-958. © 2016 SETAC.

The CARLIT method for the assessment of the ecological quality of European Mediterranean waters: Relevance, robustness and possible improvements

The application of the European Union (EU) Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires the assessment of the ecological status (ES) of coastal waters in order to detect environmental changes and implement management plans to prevent their further deterioration. The ES of a water body (WB) has to be assessed on the basis of the status of several biological indicators, referred to as biological quality elements (BQE), such as phytoplankton, macroalgae, seagrasses, macroinvertebrates and fish. We present the most extensive assessment ever undertaken of the ES of Mediterranean waters, by means of the CARLIT index, the most widely used index for the Mediterranean Sea. This index is based on the Ecological Quality Ratio (EQR) between a measured value of Ecological Quality (EQ) and a value corresponding to a reference site. This assessment is based on an extensive field study, covering the whole of the Mediterranean French coasts (including Corsica), 40 WBs and ∼2 970kilometres of shore (at a 1/2 500 scale). The original Ballesteros CARLIT method is compared to the Nikolić modified method, and we have undertaken the challenge of developing an alternative new simplified CARLIT method. This simplified method, which requires less expert judgement, is easier to implement by local authorities, and provides results similar overall to those of the original method. Previous attempts, if any, to correlate EQRs with anthropogenic stressors (through pressure indices) were mainly based upon land uses or on comprehensive lists of stressors, some spatially very sporadic, temporally highly variable, non-representative of the WB and with the impact poorly established on species and communities. To date, the LUSI (Land Uses Simplified Index) and the MA-LUSI-WB have been the most widely used pressure indices. Here, we propose a new pressure index (HAPI) taking into consideration the possible shortcomings of previous indices. It takes into account the actual pressures at community levels considered by the CARLIT method. It accounts well for the EQR values of the study area, as evidenced by the high correlation coefficient between EQRs and HAPI, better than that of the other pressure indices. The present study provides a comprehensive view of the ES of the French Mediterranean coasts. Surprisingly, the picture is far less cause for concern than expected, although this could result from an artefact due to the focus on superficial waters and habitats inherent to the CARLIT method. Where two successive assessments were performed (23 WBs, 2007–2010 vs 2012–2015), the results were similar, which stresses the robustness of the method and/or the relative stability over time of the overall ES of the WBs, and suggests that the successive assessments could be carried out at low frequency.

Towards tributyltin quantification in natural water at the Environmental Quality Standard level required by the Water Framework Directive

The European Union (EU) has included tributyltin (TBT) and its compounds in the list of priority water pollutants. Quality standards demanded by the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) require determination of TBT at so low concentration level that chemical analysis is still difficult and further research is needed to improve the sensitivity, the accuracy and the precision of existing methodologies. Within the frame of a joint research project “Traceable measurements for monitoring critical pollutants under the European Water Framework Directive” in the European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP), four metrological and designated institutes have developed a primary method to quantify TBT in natural water using liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) and species-specific isotope dilution mass spectrometry (SSIDMS). The procedure has been validated at the Environmental Quality Standard (EQS) level (0.2ngL−1 as cation) and at the WFD-required limit of quantification (LOQ) (0.06ngL−1 as cation). The LOQ of the methodology was 0.06ngL−1 and the average measurement uncertainty at the LOQ was 36%, which agreed with WFD requirements. The analytical difficulties of the method, namely the presence of TBT in blanks and the sources of measurement uncertainties, as well as the interlaboratory comparison results are discussed in detail.

Transforming European Water Governance? Participation and River Basin Management under the EU Water Framework Directive in 13 Member States

The European Union (EU) Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires EU member states to produce and implement river basin management plans, which are to be designed and updated via participatory processes that inform, consult with, and actively involve all interested stakeholders. The assumption of the European Commission is that stakeholder participation, and institutional adaptation and procedural innovation to facilitate it, are essential to the effectiveness of river basin planning and, ultimately, the environmental impact of the Directive. We analyzed official documents and the WFD literature to compare implementation of the Directive in EU member states in the initial WFD planning phase (2000–2009). Examining the development of participatory approaches to river basin management planning, we consider the extent of transformation in EU water governance over the period. Employing a mixed quantitative and qualitative approach, we map the implementation “trajectories” of 13 member states, and then provide a detailed examination of shifts in river basin planning and participation in four member states (Germany, Sweden, Poland and France) to illustrate the diversity of institutional approaches observed. We identify a general tendency towards increased, yet circumscribed, stakeholder participation in river basin management in the member states examined, alongside clear continuities in terms of their respective pre-WFD institutional and procedural arrangements. Overall, the WFD has driven a highly uneven shift to river basin-level planning among the member states, and instigated a range of efforts to institutionalize stakeholder involvement—often through the establishment of advisory groups to bring organized stakeholders into the planning process.

Implementing the EU Water Framework Directive in Norway: Bridging the Gap Between Water Management Networks and Elected Councils?

To handle the challenge of complex cross-sector and multilevel coordination in the implementation of the European Union Water Framework Directive, Norway has established multilevel governance networks. Observers have pointed to a risk of such governance arrangements being dominated by experts. This article studies the highly complex multilevel governance networks of water management in Norway, and unveils the importance of political anchorage of such governance networks at local and regional levels. The study finds evidence that political anchorage matters for further network achievements. Because the water governance networks are subordinated to the hierarchy of government, they need to ‘talk to' the system of hierarchical government in order to be effective. In this regard, it seems crucial that networks are politically anchored. Furthermore, the study unveils the important role of political leadership and network managers in ensuring political anchorage.

State of the art in the determination of trace elements in seawater: a worldwide proficiency test.

This manuscript presents the results of the International Measurement Evaluation Programme 40 (IMEP-40) study, a proficiency test (PT) which was organised to assess the worldwide performance of laboratories for the determination of trace elements in seawater. This PT supports the implementation of the European Union Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC, which aims at achieving a long-term high level protection of the aquatic environment, covering lakes, ground water and coastal waters. Forty-six participants reported results. The test item was seawater containing the trace elements As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se and Zn. The trace elements in the test item were present in very low concentrations to mimic natural levels. The results of the participants were rated with z and zeta (ζ) scores in accordance with ISO 13528 and ISO 17043. The standard deviation for proficiency assessment, widehat{upsigma} , was set at 25 % of the respective assigned values for the 12 measured elements based on previous experience with similar PTs. The low levels of the trace elements combined with the high salt concentration of the seawater made the measurements challenging. Many laboratories were unable to detect or quantify the elements and reported “lower than X” values. The percentage of satisfactory performances (expressed as z scores) ranged from 41 % (Cr, Fe) to 86 % (Mo). The PT study showed that the use of proper standard methods, like ISO 17294-2, and sensitive techniques, like inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), contributed to performing well in this PT round.

Integrating ecosystem services in river basin management plans

Summary According to the European Union Water Framework Directive, river basin management plans must include a programme of measures, with a series of management actions aiming to achieve good ecosystem status of all water bodies within the basin. The design and later prioritization of these management actions is, in theory, done through cost‐effectiveness analysis (CEA), which compares management action costs with expected improvements in ecosystem status. However, such an approach does not consider the effects of management actions on human well‐being resulting from changes in the provision of ecosystem services. We propose to complement the current CEA approach with a cost–benefit analysis (CBA) integrating the effects of management actions on the provision of ecosystem services, therefore moving from a single‐objective to a multiobjective approach. We propose a flexible methodological framework based on a combination of CEA and CBA that can be easily adapted to different case studies. To test the applicability of our approach, we applied it to an impaired basin, the Llobregat River basin (north‐eastern Iberian Peninsula). The analysis considers management actions selected from the programme of measures under implementation: establishment of environmental river flows, improvement of river connectivity, treatment of urban wastewater and reduction in saline pollution; and the effects on a series of ecosystem services: water provisioning, waste treatment and habitat for species. Results revealed that management actions designed to improve ecosystem status do not necessarily improve human well‐being through changes in the provision of ecosystem services. The implementation of the CEA and CBA allowed the identification of management actions providing the best trade‐offs between improvements of ecosystem status and human well‐being. For example, the establishment of environmental river flows in the upper Llobregat River was the management action that maximized the balance between gains in ecosystem status and human well‐being. Synthesis and applications. Overall, the combination of cost‐effectiveness analysis and cost–benefit analysis supports a more informed and transparent decision‐making in the implementation of river basin management plans, better assisting stakeholders to prioritize those management actions providing the optimal win–win results.

“Odonata Community Index – Corsica” (OCIC): A new biological index based on adult odonate populations for assessment of the ecological status of watercourses in Corsica

Corsica is a French island in the western Mediterranean with numerous distinct geomorphological, landscape, and biological characteristics. These specific attributes, mostly related to insularity, are hardly taken into account by the biological indices currently recommended in the framework of the European Union Water Framework Directive “WFD” for assessing the ecological status of watercourses. Thus, this work has focused on developing an innovative biological index adapted to the specific context of territories such as Corsica, based on the Odonata group. In this context, imago sampling of Odonata was performed at 40 representative stations to assess the 33 major permanent rivers of the island. In parallel, various biological, hydrological, and physicochemical parameters affecting the ecological status of these organisms were recorded. The data collected on nearly 30 species of Odonata allowed for the accurate description of the typical populations of Corsican watercourses, highlighting this group's potential as a biological indicator. An indicator value was assigned to the 12 species identified as the most representative of these environments. The results were used to develop 5 biological indices based on simple statistical descriptors. The index that was found to be the best for assessing the ecological status of the watercourses, as indicated by correlation tests, was named “Odonata Community Index – Corsica” (OCIC), and was finally confronted with the 5 biological indices recommended by the WFD and currently used in Corsica. The results of this study confirm the significant potential of the OCIC index compared to other “official” indicators, that are limited in they do not accurately assess all territories. The results of our tests indicate that this new index using Odonata group appears to be a credible method that could potentially improve the evaluation system currently used for monitoring the ecological quality of watercourses in Corsica.

An estimation of diel metabolic rates of eight limnological archetypes from Estonia using high-frequency measurements

We employed a Bayesian model to assess the metabolic state of 8 Estonian lakes representing the 8 lake types according to the European Union Water Framework Directive. We hypothesized that long-term averages of light-related variables would be better predictors of lake metabolism than nutrient-related variables. Model input parameters were in situ high-frequency measurements of dissolved oxygen, temperature, and irradiance. Model simulations were conducted for several (5–12) diel cycles for each lake during the summer season. Accounting for uncertainty, the results from the Bayesian model revealed that 2 lakes were autotrophic for the duration of the experiment, 1 was heterotrophic, and 5 were balanced or had an ambiguous metabolic state. Cross-comparison with a traditional bookkeeping model showed that the majority of lakes were in metabolic balance. A strong coupling between primary production and respiration was observed, with the share of autochthonous primary production respired by consumers increasing with light extinction and nutrient-related variables. Unlike gross primary production, community respiration was strongly related to light extinction, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total phosphorus. These findings suggest that a drastic decrease in light-limited primary production along the DOC gradient counter-balanced nutrient supply in the darker lakes and thus blurred the relationship between primary production and nutrients. Thus, contrary to our hypothesis, both light and nutrient-related variables seemed to be good predictors of lake respiration and its coupling to lake primary production.

The consequences of increased groundwater abstraction for groundwater dependent closed-basin lakes in glacial terrain

According to the European Union Water Framework Directive groundwater and surface-water resources have to be managed in an integrated way. The utilisation of groundwater resources must not harm surface-water ecosystems that are directly dependent on groundwater. The study evaluates the effects of increased groundwater abstraction (a) on a regional scale to groundwater and lake levels in a lake district, and (b) on a local scale to the seepage patterns in one example lake. After a 51 % increase in the pumping rates from an unconfined aquifer the water levels of three closed-basin lakes near the intake fell 0.3–0.7 m in 1 year, but did not change in the two lakes further from the intake. Groundwater levels in the aquifer dropped up to 0.8 m near the intake, but did not change further from the wells. Seepage measurements at the bottom of one lake showed that before the increased abstraction outseepage occurred in its northern side, after the increased abstraction the outseepage area had widened towards its western side. The results confirm that the groundwater level drop and the consequent lake-level drop were caused by the increased abstraction rate. The outcomes of the rare opportunity to analyse lake/groundwater interactions both before and after increased human intervention provide a cautionary example of what may happen to and in groundwater-dependent lakes if the groundwater/surface-water interactions are not fully clarified before the intervention in potentially similar cases around the world.

Semi-Automatic Service Provision Based on Interaction of Data Warehouses for Evaluation of Water Resources

Our research is devoted to development of information infrastructure for e-service semi-automatic provision by using distributed data warehouses (DWs) of water protection domain. Development of software for semi-automatic service provision is based on artificial planner and structure of goals adapted for specialized needs of end users. Such e-service preparation mechanism can work under the unified coherent framework for solving the environment protection problems by evaluation of the processes of water consumption and contamination. The possibilities of integration of distributed DWs of water management sector into web portal meeting the requirements of conceptual interoperability are presented. Design approach is based on development of decision support system (DSS) that is designed as multilayered system with multi–componential, interoperable structure of databases (DBs), which are under responsibility of different public administration institutions such as European Environment Information and Observation Network (EIONET) and national environment protection agencies. The infrastructure of EIONET is used for supporting and improving data and information flows. The Water resource management information system (WRMIS) became the kernel component of DSS. WRMIS prototype facilitates data flows between the institutions and gives access to data for relevant institutions and the public providing e-services using proposed DSS. The research investigations are made according to the requirements of European Union Water Framework Directive, Sustainable Development Strategy and ReportNet as the EIONET infrastructure for supporting and improving data and information flows. Additional means are integrated in the structures of DSS as knowledge representation techniques based on conceptual schemas, data flow diagrams, and decision-making rules. The on-line management techniques are based on assurance of interoperability by using Open Web Platform W3C standards for web service development, such as XML, SOAP, HTTP, etc.

Estimating cultural benefits from surface water status improvements in freshwater wetland ecosystems

Freshwater wetlands provide crucial ecosystem services, though are subject to anthropogenic/natural stressors that provoke negative impacts on these ecosystems, services and values. The European Union Water Framework Directive aims to achieve good status of surface waters by 2015, through implementation of Catchment Management Plans. Implementation of Catchment Management Plans is costly, though associated benefits from improvements in surface water status are less well known. This paper establishes a functional relationship between surface water status and cultural ecosystem service values of freshwater systems. Hence, we develop a bio-economic valuation approach in which we relate ecological status and chemical status of surface waters (based on local physio-chemical and benthic macro-invertebrates survey data) to willingness-to-pay (using benefit-function transfer). Results for the Pateira de Fermentelos freshwater wetland (Portugal) show that the current status of surface waters is good from a chemical though only moderate from an ecological perspective. The current cultural ecosystem service value of the wetland is estimated at 1.54 m€/yr— increasing to 2.02 m€/yr in case good status of surface waters is obtained. Taking into account ecosystem services and values in decision making is essential to avoid costs from externalities and capture benefits from spill-overs — leading to more equitable, effective and efficient water resources management.

E-SERVICE COMPOSITION FOR DECISION SUPPORT, BASED ON MONITORING OF CONTAMINATION PROCESSES AND ANALYSIS OF WATER RESOURCE DATA

Our research concerns the development of a unified coherent framework for evaluating water contamination processes and solving environment protection problems according to sustainable development requirements. The research investigations are made according to the requirements of the European Union (EU) Water Framework Directive and Sustainable Development Strategy. The article describes the decision support processes, based on integration of distributed data warehouses that are on the responsibility of different institutions. The Water Resource Management Information System became the kernel component of a decision support system. We analyse the possibilities of composing e-services in a semi-automatic way for decision support by analysing data processes in the water management sector. We would like to show the possibilities of integrating of data into a web portal from the distributed databases of the water management sector. The information infrastructure of e-service provision is constructed by ensuring the requirements of interoperability. The composition mechanisms of e-service are based on SOA, i.e. service-oriented architecture, and the Goal-Based Service Framework idea. The results are demonstrated on wastewater discharges from farms and household production into surface waters of Lithuanian districts during the period of 2003–2012 years. The water resource management domain specification is based on the goal-based service ontology.

Bioaccumulation of metals (Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) in suspended cultures of blue mussels exposed to different environmental conditions

Farming of suspended mussels is important for generating high protein food and animal feed or for removing nutrients in eutrophic systems. However, the harvested mussels must not be severely contaminated by pollutants posing a potential health risk for the consumers. The present study estimated the bioaccumulation of cadmium, copper, nickel, lead and zinc in suspended blue mussels (Mytilus edulis L.) in the Limfjorden, Denmark, based on observations and modelling. Modelling was used to assess the suitability of suspended blue mussels as animal feed and food products at sea water metal concentrations corresponding to Good Ecological Status (GES) in the European Union Water Framework Directive (WFD) and in future climate change scenarios (higher metal concentrations and higher temperatures). For this purpose, GES is interpreted as good chemical status for the metals using the Environmental Quality Standards (EQS) defined in the WFD priority substance daughter directives. Observations showed that suspended mussels were healthy with respect to metal pollution and generally less polluted than benthic mussels due to the smaller contact with the contaminated sediment. The model results showed that the WFD targets for Cd, Ni and Pb are not protective with respect to marine mussel production and probably should be reduced for marine waters. Climate changes may increase the metal contamination of mussels, but not to any critical level at the relatively unpolluted study sites. In conclusion, WFD targets should be revised to assure that the corresponding body burdens of metals in mussels are below the safety limits according to the EU Directives and the Norwegian classification for animal feed and food production.

Governance, Policy, and Economics of Intergovernmental River Basin Management

This article examines governance, policy, and economic complexities of intergovernmental river basin management. The watershed or river basin approach is examined within the context of integrated water resources management as a means to efficiently manage interstate river systems. Organizational, institutional, and budget structures of watershed management models are explored and benchmarked with economic performance measures of prototypical river basin commissions in the United States. River basin organizations such as the Delaware River Basin Commission have the requisite authority under Federal/state compact to manage a river as a single entity provided financial structures are in place to sustainably fund water resources programs in interstate basins. To sustainably finance watershed programs, river basin governance organizations would benefit from revisiting the economic user pays principles long practiced in Europe, Latin America, and Oceania and advocated by the continental-scale European Union Water Framework Directive.

Satellite-based products for monitoring optically complex inland waters in support of EU Water Framework Directive

The need to restore and protect waterbodies from further degradation has resulted in formulation of the European Union Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC (WFD). The directive aims to harmonize European legislation on water; and member states shall establish a programme for monitoring the status of all waterbodies larger than 0.5 km2, in order to ensure future quality and quantity of inland waters. The biological and physical–chemical status and ecological potential should be assessed and action plans for a sustainable management and protection of freshwater resources should be established. In practice, this means that extensive and expensive sampling programmes are needed. The ecological status of a waterbody can be described by various biological and physical–chemical quality elements, and several of these important ecological parameters can be monitored by space-based instruments: (1) phytoplankton biomass; (2) chlorophyll-a concentration; (3) water transparency; and (4) frequency and intensity of blooms. The objective of this article is to demonstrate how Environmental Satellite/Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer and future Sentinel-3/Ocean Land Colour Instrument data can be effectively used to complement traditional water monitoring programmes by adding information with significantly improved spatial coverage and temporal detail to support the WFD status assessment process. Examples are provided for five large European lakes (Peipsi, Võrtsjärv, Vänern, Vättern, Mälaren). Time series based on satellite data and data collected within national and regional monitoring programmes were compiled and compared, to demonstrate good agreement between the two techniques, but also to discuss natural differences and limitations. Furthermore, the ecological status class based on satellite and in situ data for each waterbody was calculated and analysed.