INTEGRATING NUMERICAL MODELS IN RIVER BASIN MANAGEMENT PLANS – THE FREEWAT PROJECT

The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires the achievement of good status in the water environment through the implementation of River Basin Management Plans (RBMP). The long-term impact of these plans and their contribution to the achievement of good status is however generally difficult to predict and quantify, thus presenting an important constraint in this planning process. Numerical models are a tool which can enable water managers to predict the effective impact of measures on a water-body scale, and therefore enable a more reliable assessment of the effectiveness of the plan in achieving the set objectives.