| Abstract |
The European Water Framework Directive (EUWFD),
implemented in the year of 2000, requires
the general ecological protection and a minimum
chemical standard to be achieved in all European
surface waters based on the watershed scale. All
member states of the EU mandate to develop
river basin management action plans to achieve
these goals within the year of 2015.
In Germany, this procedure is regulated by
several administrative units through the
legislation of federation and state laws defining
different stages of responsibility. Thereby the
administration is positioned by the spatial scale
of 10 major water basins (Danube, Rhine, Maas,
Ems, Weser, Elbe, Eider, Oder, Schlei/Trave and
Warnow/ Peene).
Being part of the Elbe River system the 843 km²
Gera catchment was selected for a pilot study.
The study was announced by the ‘Thuringian
environmental, agency’ (TLUG) to develop a
method to target the aims of the EU-WFD for
establishing a good water quality within one of
the main tributaries of the Elbe River.
The Gera basin is located in the Thuringian
middle mountain range area of Germany.
Physiographic and climatic factors, such as
topography, landuse and soils as well as
precipitation varying strongly. They are resulting
in a highly complex of variable water and
nutrients turnover processes. One of the main
water quality problems occuring in the Gera
basin is related to nutrients. Therefore the main
goal of this pilot study was to assess the
suitability of the available data bases for
achieving the goals of the EU-WFD in case of
nitrogen. The study was applied for the Gera
catchment by
(i) Evaluation of the feasibility of the present
data related monitoring system for
providing spatial informations on the
detecting of local water quality areas and
their relation to sources of pollution;
(ii) Applying the SWAT model to regionalise
areas contributing a high release of
nitrogen to the Gera River by utilising
basin related spatial informations;
(iii) Investigation and assessment of
comparability of monitoring and model
application for accomplishing the goals of
the EU-WFD.
In summary it can be concluded that the present
monitoring system of the Gera River system has to
be improved (frequency and number of gauging
stations) for Phase II of the EU-WFD according to
the proposed areas through applying the SWAT
model. Although it has to be pointed out that
modeling results have to be improved this
application has tested to be suitable for identifying
key system properties of spatial and temporal
variability of nutrient release within the catchment.
This knowledge is of highly importance if dealing
with the development and the assessment of
management action plans according to the Phase
III of the EU-WFD. |
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| Citation |
Bende-Michl, U., M. Fink & W.-A. Flügel (2005): Study Present Measurement Strategies And The Application Of The SWAT Model For Its Suitability To The European Water Framework Directive (EU-WFD) Within A Large-Scale Catchment In Germany. In: Zerger, A. & Argent, R.M. (eds.): MODSIM 2005 International Congress on Modell and Simulation. Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand, December 2005, 2629-2635. |
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