WFD magazine 2024

Building online magazine:

  • Landing page
  • Introduction
  • About Water Framework Directive
  • Water quality timeline
  • HHNK and the WFD
  • How is HHNK working on water quality e third WFD period
  • Specially protected areas within the WFD
  • Other measures
  • References and contact

Water Framework Directive & HHNK

January 1, 2022 marks the start of the third and final period of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). This magazine provides insight into this period and the efforts the Water Board is making for it.

Introduction

Healthy water is critical to the well-being of people, animals and plants. Many sectors depend on healthy water, such as recreation, food production, industry and agriculture. Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier is responsible for water quality in North Holland, from the North Sea Canal to Texel. HHNK's objectives and the measures implemented to improve water quality are partly determined by the Water Framework Directive (WFD).

January 1, 2022 marks the third and final period of the WFD. The purpose of this magazine is to provide insight into this planning period and HHNK's efforts to achieve this. First we briefly discuss water quality through the years. Then there is a brief review of the previous WFD periods and an explanation of how the current measures have come about. Then these measures are explained in more detail. 

Introduction Water Framework Directive

In 2000, the WFD came into force within Europe. In the Netherlands, the WFD was translated into the Water Act and then into the Omgevingswet with the goal of making and keeping water cleaner and healthier. The WFD is based on a river basin approach and thus the Netherlands is divided into four areas: Rhine, Meuse, Scheldt and Ems. In each area, water boards, Rijkswaterstaat, municipalities and provinces work together on cleaner water. HHNK lies in the Rhine basin, which is for practical reasons subdivided into Rhine-West, Rhine-East and Rhine-North. HHNK is part of Rhine-West. 

Implementation of the WFD is divided into three 6-year periods. 

  • KRW1: 2009-2015;
  • KRW2: 2016-2021;
  • KRW3: 2022-2027.

Prior to each period, a plan is drawn up to get the water clean and healthy. For regional waters, the goals are set by the province at the suggestion of the water boards. The national government sets the goals for national and natural waters. The type of water determines the degree of intervention. The WFD distinguishes between large waters such as rivers, lakes, canals and reservoirs and smaller waters such as ditches. The WFD report focuses exclusively on the large waters, but HHNK is committed to getting all waters in its area clean and healthy. 

Water quality timeline

From 1850 onwards: Industrialization and connection to the sewerage system

When industrialization took hold in the Netherlands, water quality deteriorated sharply. At that time there was no sewage system and all domestic wastewater was discharged into the surface water. During industrialization, waste from factories was added to this. The water was black and stench and disease caused a lot of inconvenience. At the beginning of the 20th century, the construction of sewers began. Although everyone is now used to sewers, it took well into the 20th century before all households were connected to them. After the advent of sewers, water purification also became possible. These developments had a major positive effect; hygiene increased and the spread of infectious diseases decreased.  

1970-present: Protection of water quality in law 

After World War II, the intensification of agriculture took off, under the motto: "Never again hungry. To achieve this, the use of (artificial) fertilizers and new (chemical) pesticides increased. These substances ended up in surface water. Here the fertilizers in particular caused algal blooms in the water; the water became green and turbid and aquatic plants disappeared. To ensure water quality, the Surface Water Pollution Act was passed in 1970. A permit requirement for discharging to surface water was introduced, and a manure and discharge policy was established for farmers. In addition, standards were set for plant protection products. Households and industry were taxed for sewer use. Water quality monitoring also began with the introduction of these rules and regulations. Despite these measures, in some places the water is still green: blue-green algae and duckweed predominate. This is accompanied by oxygen depletion which can lead to odor problems and fish deaths. 

Future (2027 and beyond): Prevention methods against invisible pollution.

There is an active policy to get or keep all waters clean and healthy by 2027, so that flora and fauna appropriate to the water type can develop. The measures drawn up for the WFD are very important for this. Nowadays there is also increasing attention for micro-pollutants in the water: medicine residues, pesticides, microplastics, hormone-like substances and new chemical compounds (PFAS). HHNK is working on new techniques to remove these substances from sewage water. To gain more insight into this, research is being done into the short and long term effects. In addition, it is important to prevent these substances from entering (waste) water. For example, do not throw unused medicine residues in the toilet and do not leave your waste in nature; what does not enter the water, does not have to come out. 

HHNK and the WFD

In 2000, the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) came into force, with the goal of making water clean and healthy. Under the WFD, every six-year period each EU member state draws up a plan of measures to improve water quality, which is accountable to Brussels. Prior to each new period, goals are set based on the most recent insights about the water system. These goals are translated into a package of measures, which must be implemented by the end of the period in question. This chapter briefly discusses the past two periods and how the measures for the current3rd WFD period came about. 

Source: Studio Ronald van der Heide
Source: Studio Ronald van der Heide

Past periods and current period 

At the beginning of the first WFD period in December 2009, almost all the water in the management area of HHNK met the then required chemical objectives. This did not apply to the ecological objectives: about half of the water bodies were given the score 'poor' and the other half were qualified as 'insufficient'. This was in line with the national situation: in 2009, only 0.4% of all water in the Netherlands received the WFD assessment 'good'. During the first (2009-2015) and second (2015-2021) WFD periods, several measures were implemented that led to improvements in water quality. These measures focused on area management and design, emissions of substances from agriculture, monitoring, research and innovation, among others.

In 2015, the targets for both chemistry and ecology were updated. The figure below shows the status at the end of WFD2 with respect to the ecological targets. For chemistry, there were (local) exceedances for a number of substances at the time, including PAHs, pesticides and heavy metals.

To set the goals in the current3rd WFD period, extensive research was conducted to gain a better understanding of the functioning of the water system: a water system analysis. These water system analyses revealed that the Requirements for good water quality were not yet being met in a number of important areas: 

  • In many canals, polder ditches and lakes, there was not enough light on the bottom for the development of aquatic plants. The absence of aquatic plants resulted in limited diversity of fish and other animals in the water (see: Clear or turbid). 
  • The amount of nutrients in surface water was too high. This is mainly caused in many areas by the background load (see: Naturally occurring substances)
  • In many places there were fixed water levels rather than natural water levels.
  • In part of the water, the soil was too nutrient-rich and the structure too weak for aquatic plants to take root. 
  • There was insufficient variation in water depth. 
  • Some of the water was not optimally accessible to migrating fish species.
  • Management and maintenance were not aligned with water quality goals in many places.
  • In some places, there were exceedances of chemicals, such as PAHs, heavy metals and other micropollutants.

With the knowledge of these bottlenecks, it became possible to take targeted and efficient measures. One of the main conclusions from the study is that there is a high background load in the area in some places (see: Clear or turbid, Naturally Occurring Substances). This makes it impossible to achieve clear water in many places; the WFD targets have been adjusted accordingly. For waters that do have the potential to become clear, the target has been set to achieve this during the current WFD period (see illustration).

Clear or cloudy

When you think of clean and healthy water, the goal of the WFD, you also think of clear water. Whether a water is clear or turbid is strongly influenced by the presence of nitrogen and phosphorus. These substances can be naturally present in the soil or groundwater, or they can come from outside as fertilizers or emissions. If there is little nitrogen and phosphorus in the water, then there are few algae and/or duckweed in the water. This allows plenty of light to fall on the bottom, giving aquatic plants a chance to grow. This attracts certain small and larger aquatic animals that thrive in them. Fish use these aquatic plants to deposit their eggs on. 

Nitrogen and phosphorus are always naturally present in the water to some degree, but there can also be an excess of these substances in the water. In this case, more algae will grow in the water. Excess algae leads to turbid water. The aquatic plants on the bottom no longer receive light and disappear. With this situation comes a certain fish population of fish that forage in the bottom, such as bream and carp. Through their foraging behavior, these species help maintain the turbid system. Models can be used to calculate how far the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus in the water must be reduced before the water becomes clear again. The tipping point is called the critical load. All lakes, ditches and rivers have individual characteristics and the critical load will differ for each water.

Naturally occurring substances

The goal of the WFD is to get water clean and healthy. Therefore measures are taken to limit the amount of phosphorus and nitrogen in the surface water. However, the water system analyses show that HHNK has a high natural background load in its area. This means that there is a lot of nitrogen and phosphorus naturally present, which has not been influenced by humans (in recent times). The nitrogen and phosphorus present is partly due to the historical influence of the sea on the area and groundwater seepage. There is also phosphorus traditionally in the deeper layers of the soil. Because of these sources, a certain amount of nitrogen and phosphorus is naturally present in the water. This makes it virtually unfeasible in many places in the area to get the water healthy to the WFD targets by 2027. Therefore, for WFD3 the targets at HHNK have been adjusted accordingly. 

In the longer term (2050), however, there is potential for clean and healthy water in some of these areas. This is because there are several developments that affect future water quality: policies in the context of circular agriculture, addressing subsidence and addressing air quality. In the future, clean and healthy water and more biodiversity may also be possible in these areas. 

Monitoring ecological and chemical targets

To verify that water quality is actually improving, monitoring is done for ecological and chemical goals. For ecological goals, the water is monitored for the presence of algae, aquatic plants, small aquatic animals and fish. In addition, other characteristics of the water such as phosphate and nitrogen levels, concentration of oxygen, salinity, acidity and transparency are examined. These measurements are reported in classes: good, moderate, insufficient and poor. For the various types of water in the Netherlands, there are guidelines appropriate to this type that the water must meet. If a water has "good" status, it meets the ecological WFD standards for clean and healthy water. 

The chemical WFD targets cover 45 hazardous and toxic substances (priority substances). In addition, there is a list of 77 so-called "specific pollutants. Legal standards have been established for all of these substances. Monitoring examines the status of the presence of all these substances.

This is how HHNK works on water quality

The measures implemented in the period 2022-2027 stem from the water system analyses and act on the bottlenecks that exist in the water system. For the water bodies that have the potential to become clear, the goal has been set to achieve this in WFD3. In these areas, the implementation of the necessary measures is actively promoted.

Measures are also implemented for water bodies with little potential for clear water, but these are less actively promoted. Measures in these water bodies will mainly lead to local quality improvement and contribute to biodiversity. In the longer term, however, more opportunities may arise in these water systems. In WFD3 we are taking a step in the right direction in these areas.

Each water body and water type requires customization, but the measures do have some general characteristics. The focus is on: optimizing water level management, addressing various nutrient sources and nature-friendly management and design to increase the carrying capacity of the system. We continue to address fish migration bottlenecks and fish migration monitoring and finally there are some other specific measures.

Under the motto "by yourself, together and by others," HHNK is strongly committed to cooperating with third parties and facilitating deployment by third parties. In this period, more than in previous periods, it is essential to enter into and strengthen this cooperation. In the past periods almost all measures that HHNK could do independently have been implemented. Most of the measures that can further improve water quality can only be solved by cooperating with other parties. Therefore, cooperation is actively sought with other stakeholders such as agriculture, nature organizations, recreation boards, citizens and other authorities.     

Level management

Adjusting the management of water levels aims to retain more area-specific water and reduce the supply of water from outside the area. The aim of this is to reduce the amount of phosphorus and nitrogen in the water, thus improving water quality. Due to the design and use of our area, water level management has become unnatural over the past centuries. We drain clean rainwater in wet periods to prevent flooding and in dry periods we bring in water from elsewhere to keep the ditches level. In this way, we can use the land for agriculture or urban development, for example. However, this tight water level is not optimal for water quality and riparian vegetation. These actually benefit from the retention of clean rainwater and a flexible water level. In some places the inlet water is also rich in nitrogen and phosphate, so that areas are burdened with this. In many places, however, it is not possible to change water level management without causing inconvenience to agriculture or existing buildings. In a number of areas there are opportunities to optimize water level management. In most cases this involves isolating a sub-area from its surroundings, such as for nature development. These areas can then have their own flexible water level management. In order to determine what is necessary and/or feasible, we will first examine these opportunities in more detail.
In addition, a number of other measures will be implemented that are related to water level management. Water intake facilities will be automated in a number of areas. With this we can regulate that water is only admitted when the water level drops below a certain level. An additional advantage is that this means the pumping station has to grind out water less often. 

Management and design

Management

For clean and healthy water, ditch maintenance is very important. The supply and discharge of water requires a certain space in the ditch; the minimum flow profile. This space is maintained by dredging and mowing ditches. Previously, the rules for every ditch were the same: the ditch had to be completely free of aquatic plants and reeds. In practice, this meant that sometimes more space was made in the ditch than actually needed for proper flow. A different view of ditch management has allowed more room for variation in management, as long as it does not interfere with the minimum flow profile. To make this possible, the rules in the inspection have been broadened. If there is room, not all aquatic plants and reeds need to be removed. The presence of plants improves the water quality and biodiversity of the banks. Plants are also a natural protection against bank erosion. This project (Room for Growth) involves other maintainers such as agriculture, nature organizations, recreation boards and residents of the management area.

HHNK calculates how much vegetation can remain in the flow profile of the waterway. In some cases this means that mowing can be reduced from twice to once a year. In due course an interactive Map will be available on the website.

Furnishing 

To increase biodiversity and create habitat for fish and aquatic animals, several existing banks have been given nature-friendly designs. Up to and including 2021, approximately 275 kilometers of nature-friendly banks (nvo's) have already been constructed. In WFD3, the ambition is to construct another 75 kilometers. Nvo's have a gentle slope (gradual transition from land to water) and offer a variation of wet and dry conditions. Existing reed banks of reeds can also form an NVO. Nvo's provide habitat for a variety of plants and animals and contribute to increasing biodiversity both on land and in the water. In addition to the official WFD monitoring, many volunteers were used to monitor the biodiversity of the Nvo's in the period 2015-2019. The results show that the nvo's have a measurable positive effect on the local improvement of biodiversity and water quality. Therefore, other parties are also encouraged to construct Nvo's. 

In addition to constructing new nature-friendly banks, attention is also paid to the management and maintenance of existing banks. Banks have to contend with the dominance of reeds, erosion or foraging by water birds, for example. Locally, attention is also being paid to increasing the habitat suitability of waterways. Consider changing the water depth for wintering fish. 

Dredging

In WFD3, we are conducting research on the effectiveness of dredging in some areas. Dredging is done at regular intervals to bring the ditch back to the right depth. However, in some areas dredging for water quality improvement is also carried out. This is not done to deepen the ditch, but to remove the top dredging layer or silt. This silt is very nutrient-rich (nitrogen and phosphorus) or has a very fine structure, which makes it difficult for aquatic plants to take root. Moreover, this silt can cause additional nitrogen and phosphate in the surface water. In practice, it appears that this quality dredging often makes sense, but depends on local conditions. It is also important that the source of dredging can be addressed for a lasting positive effect.

Agriculture

There is a water challenge from agriculture due to the high load of nutrients and pesticides on surface water. In addition to national policy, farmers are encouraged to take additional, supra-statutory measures that benefit water quality. We do this through different tracks, namely Agricultural Water Management (blue services) and the program Working Together on Soil & Water. 

Agricultural Water Management

Within the provincial Agricultural Nature and Landscape Management, a subsidy option exists since 2016 for management measures by agriculture in the field of water. Improving water quality is one of the goals of this scheme. Examples of measures include construction of buffer strips or flowery field edges, ecological ditch cleaning, deployment of dredge pump (peat meadow area) and construction of nature-friendly banks. Participating farmers are compensated for their extra costs or loss of income. The agricultural collectives coordinate the implementation of the measures and ensure knowledge development and exchange among the participants.

Working Together on Soil & Water

In 2016, HHNK took the initiative to address the water challenges in North Holland by joining forces with the Province of North Holland, Hoogheemraadschap van Rijnland (HHRL), Waterschap Amstel Gooi en Vecht (AGV), LTO-Noord/KAVB and the four North Holland agricultural collectives in the program "Working together on Soil & Water. This is based on the realization that we are all faced with the task of working towards a clean natural environment and that the agricultural sector can make a substantial contribution to this. From the cooperation we stimulate water awareness and (subsidy) measures in the agricultural business, which have a positive effect on a resilient healthy water system and a sustainable business. We use the North Holland Agricultural Portal developed especially for this purpose: www.landbouwportaalnoordholland.nl. 

Through this portal, all agricultural businesses in North Holland are offered the same opportunities in terms of knowledge, advice, customized coaching and subsidies they can apply for on various water-related themes. To improve water quality, efforts are being made to reduce farmyard runoff, stimulate sustainable soil use, limit the use of crop protection agents and a more 'green' plot and bank design, among other things.

Sewage treatment

Thanks to new treatment technologies, sewage treatment plants (WWTPs) are discharging increasingly clean effluent (treated water). The effluent meets the set quality standards and can therefore be discharged to surface water. Research has shown that increasing the treatment efficiency for nitrogen and phosphorus at the Everstekoog rwzi on Texel will have a major positive effect on the ecology on site. There is a special situation on Texel: there is no source of freshwater other than mainland piped water and rainwater. The effluent from the rwzi is therefore an important source of fresh water. The rwzi on Texel currently has a helophyte filter in which the effluent is post-treated. In a helophyte filter, the water is purified naturally as it flows through a reed bed in marshy ground. The plants and bacteria present purify the water and make it more biologically active. The quality of the Everstekoog sewage treatment plant effluent can be increased by installing an additional filter that removes phosphorus and nitrogen from the water. A positive effect on Texel's water quality will be realized with this filter. 

In addition to this project, HHNK is doing much more to improve and optimize wastewater treatment. In addition to water quality, this also involves the ambitions: circular and sustainable. Removal of micro-pollutants such as plastics and medicine residues will play an increasingly important role. Together with PWN, HHNK has started a pilot (TKI project: Ge(O)zond Water) into the removal of micro-pollutants at the Wervershoof sewage treatment plant. 

Dephosphating inlet water

Dephosphating inlet water reduces the amount of phosphorus in the inlet water. Inlet water is the water that is 'fed' into an area when the water level has dropped below the water table. Dephosphatizing inlet water is used in areas where this inlet water is a major source of phosphorus. It is an important measure there to reduce the nutrient richness of the water, in addition to measures by agriculture, for example. Water intake is needed in the summer half year to keep ditches at the right level or to flush them. However, this water also brings in the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus, especially if the water comes from nutrient-rich areas. The principle of dephosphating works through binding phosphorus to metals, such as iron. There are various techniques in circulation for dephosphating water, such as iron sand filters. Therefore, we first conduct research into a technique suitable for application to inlet water. Our starting point is that no contamination of the water should occur from chemicals used in dephosphating. Dephosphating water is a relatively expensive measure. We therefore apply it only in areas where the cost of the measure is in good proportion to the expected improvement in water quality.

Fish migration

Good ecology is important for clean and healthy water; this includes fish. Therefore, special measures are taken for good fish stocks and the promotion of fish migration. These measures are not only based on the WFD, but also on other laws and regulations, such as the Benelux decision on free fish migration and the National and European Eel Management Plans. The management area of HHNK is surrounded by the North Sea, Wadden Sea, IJsselmeer and Markermeer and the North Sea Canal; this makes the area ideally suited for migrating fish such as eel and three-spined sticklebacks. The eel is born in the Sargasso Sea (north of Cuba) and then migrates to mainland Europe to grow up in the fresh water of rivers and polders. In contrast, the three-spined stickleback lays its eggs in fresh water and then migrates to the sea to grow up. Dikes, locks, pumping stations and weirs sometimes make the passage of fish virtually impossible. 

Until 2021, some 65 fish passages have already been constructed or improved within the management area of HHNK. Many of these are on the edges of the management area and open up large polders or polder areas with the outside water; the first step for migrating fish to enter our area. Further bottlenecks will be resolved in the period 2022-2027. New to this is the focus on historic water connections, where we seek cooperation with spatial developments and recreational routes.

Our goal is to provide pumping stations with fish-safe pumps as much as possible. Examples from the period 2016-2021 are the pumping stations on Texel and the Boezemgemgemaal C. Mantel in Schardam. In the current WFD period we are investigating the fish safety of existing pumping stations and will proceed to replacement where necessary and possible.

Specially protected areas within the WFD

Bathing water

For water recreationists, bathing water quality is very important. Within the WFD, bathing water quality is also important. Within the area of HHNK there are 31 official swimming water locations. During the swimming season, HHNK monitors the water quality of these locations. European and national guidelines have been established to which the swimming water must comply. The presence of certain bacteria (e.g. the intestinal bacteria E. coli) and blue-green algae is measured. If there are too many of these bacteria or algae in the water, the province can issue a warning or ban on swimming. Bathing water quality is communicated by the province to recreationists through information boards and through the website www.zwemwater.nl (also available as an app).

In accordance with the division of tasks, HHNK also contributes proposals for improvement measures and takes the initiative in these. The site manager (municipality, swimming association or recreation board) is responsible for implementing the improvement measures. 

In the area of HHNK, in recent years a number of specific measures have been taken at various locations to improve bathing water quality. For example, in Oude Niedorp, location Skarpet, a jetty that attracted waterfowl has been removed. In Jagersplas, a pump has been installed that pumps up deep, blue-green algae-poor water that flushes the swimming coves. A similar system is in use at a number of swimming bays in the Geestmerambacht recreation area. Pumps have also been placed in 't Twiske, Vennegat and Speelsloot locations that flush the water, thus reducing the residence time of the water at these locations. At the Zwaansmeer, an iron sand filter has been installed that dephosphates the water being let in. Fun fact: iron sand is a residual product from drinking water production, which until recently was not used. 

In the period 2022-2027 measures will be taken at various swimming water locations; In 't Twiske and Geestmerambacht further measures will be investigated that will further optimize the (swimming) water quality. In 't Twiske this is mainly aimed at reducing blue-green algae nuisance. In Stad van de Zon the measures are aimed at improving the vegetation in the labyrinth on the south side of the area. The aquatic plants provide natural filtration of the water. At other locations with bottlenecks, HHNK is continuing to explore possible measures.

Natura 2000

Natura 2000 is a European network of protected natural areas. In these areas, certain plants, animals and their natural habitats are protected thanks to European legislation. All Natura 2000 areas have a management plan drawn up by the province. This plan contains the measures needed to maintain or restore the protected nature. HHNK also has some Natura 2000 areas within its management area. The objectives of Natura 2000 usually outweigh the objectives of the WFD, but in general the two objectives are not in conflict. This is partly because most objectives for Natura 2000 within HHNK area apply to land and not to water. However, conflicting interests may occur. For example, an area may be designated as a habitat for a colony of birds; the presence of birds could potentially affect water quality. In this case, the WFD objectives are secondary. In the period 2022-2027, HHNK will investigate the possibilities of improving the water quality in a number of Natura 2000 areas, such as the Zwanenwater and the Kalverpolder. For the other areas, we will wait for initiatives from others and try to include water quality in those plans. This is the case in Amsterdam Wetlands and polder Westzaan, for example. 

Other measures

In addition to the measures discussed above, some other measures are taking place.

Exotics

First, a policy on exotic species management is being developed. There is an emergence of exotics within the area of HHNK. Exotics are plant or animal species that do not originally occur here. Some of these species disturb the ecosystem or cause damage. We then speak of invasive exotic species. Examples are: water crassula, American crayfish and Japanese knotweed. To better respond to this, policy on exotic species management is being developed. In many cases this is a national problem and we are following the developments at other water managers.

Leaching former landfills

Second, leaching from a number of former landfills in the area is being addressed. When waste was not incinerated, it was put into the ground in so-called landfills. These landfills were later remediated and the dirt was covered, so to speak, to ensure that no direct contact with the contaminated landfill material was possible. However, around a number of former landfills, elevated concentrations of ammonium have been measured in surface water (leaching). If this is present in high levels, it leads to toxic effects in, for example, fish. The landfills with a risk of ammonium leaching within the area of HHNK have been located. Together with the province, research is being started into possible solution directions for two locations. The results will be used to address the remaining sites.

Communication campaign

Finally, poison-free gardening among private individuals is encouraged to reduce the exceedances of plant protection products and other biocides in surface water.

Want to know more?

Visit our website at www.hhnk.nl or contact Annette Beems or Jan Willem Huizinga at tel. 072 - 582 82 82. 

Resources

Videos on fish migration

Photography and images

  • Nico Jaarsma
  • Harry Schuitemaker
  • Sandra Roodzand
  • Alkmaar Regional Archives
  • Studio Ronald van der Heide
  • Klaas Sjouke de Boer
  • Rik Beentjes