River basin planning, classification and standards

Sarah Hendry focuses on the strategic issues concerning river basin planning, classification and standards in Scotland. December was the deadline for the final publication of the River Basin Management Plans (RBMP), and two plans apply to almost all of Scotland's waters, with one being for the Scotland River Basin District (RBD) and the other being for Solway Tweed RBD. The Classification Directions are at least the shorter and less technical of the two, and they require SEPA to classify water bodies using the assessments in the Standards Directions. Along with the high level RBMPs, the government has also finalized the Classification Directions and updated the Standards Directions. Chemical status will be assessed against the threshold values established in the Standards Directions. But even where a threshold value is exceeded under the Classification Directions there must also be evidence either of a sustained upward trend in a relevant indicator.