All official European Union website addresses are in the europa.eu domain.
See all EU institutions and bodiesDo something for our planet, print this page only if needed. Even a small action can make an enormous difference when millions of people do it!
Variations in requirements for sampling frequency and period specified in directives and international agreements
Frequency | Period | Directives |
Biota | ||
1. DIRECTIVES | ||
NS | NS | Aldrin (88/347/EEC) Proposed Ecological Directive (COM(93) 680) Dichloroethane (90/415/EEC) Shellfish Waters (79/923/EEC) (Taste and saxitoxin) |
Half yearly | Over 1 year | Shellfish Waters (79/923/EEC) (Metals and organohalogenated substances) |
1 | Over 1 year | Titanium Dioxide (82/883/EEC) |
Sufficient 1 | Not specified | Cadmium (83/513/EEC) HCH (84/491/EEC) Mercury (82/176/EEC) Carbon tetrachloride (86/280/EEC)(PCP) |
Quarterly | Over 1 year | Shellfish Waters (79/923/EEC) (Physicochemical and faecal coliforms) |
Monthly | Over 1 year | Shellfish Waters (79/923/EEC) (Dissolved oxygen and salinity) |
2. INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS | ||
NS4 | NS4 | Baltic Sea (Helsinki) 1974/92 (PAHs, dibenzodioxins, dibenzofurans and polychlorinated camphenes) |
Variable according to determinands | Whole year | Rhine 1976 Elbe 1990 |
1 | Seasonal/whole year | North Sea (NSTF) 1987 |
1 | August-September | Baltic Sea (Helsinki) 1974/92 (HCH, HCB, PCBs, DDT, DDE, DDD, mercury, zinc, chlordanes) |
1 | All year | Danube (Regensburg) 1987 |
2 | All year | Technical Co-operation (Bu/Gr) 19915 |
4 | All year | Technical Co-operation (Bu/Gr) 19915 |
12 | Preferably in the morning | Baltic Sea (Helsinki) 1974/92 (Micro-organisms) |
12 | Summer (throughout the productive season) | Baltic Sea (Helsinki) 1974/92 (Phytoplankton) |
12 | All year | Water Economy (Au/Hu) 1956 |
Every 2 years | All year | North East Atlantic (OSPAR) 1992 |
Sediment | ||
1. DIRECTIVES | ||
NS | NS | Aldrin (88/347/EEC) Carbon tetrachloride (86/280/EEC) Proposed Ecological Directive (COM(93) 680) Dichloroethane (90/415/EEC) |
1 | Over 1 year | Titanium Dioxide (82/883/EEC) |
Table E.2 continued
Frequency | Period | Directives |
Sufficient 1 | NS | Cadmium
(83/513/EEC) HCH (84/491/EEC) Carbon tetrachloride (86/280/EEC)(PCP) |
2. INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS | ||
Variable according to determinands | Whole year | Rhine
1976 Elbe 1990 |
1 | Whole year | North Sea (NSTF) 1987 |
1 | Late winter-early spring | Baltic Sea (Helsinki) 1974/92 (Macro-zoobenthos) |
1 | All year | Drava
1954 Water economy (Au/Hu) 1956 |
2 | All year | Water economy (Au/Hu) 1956 |
5 | Linked to sugar harvest | Frontier waters (Au/Cz) 1970 |
12 | Summer (throughout the productive season) | Baltic Sea (Helsinki) 1974/92 (Zoobenthos) |
12 | All year | Water Economy (Au/Hu) 1956 |
2 weeks - 3 years | Variable - Intensive between October and March | Mura 1954 |
Water | ||
1. DIRECTIVES | ||
NS | NS | Dichloroethane
(90/415/EEC) Aldrin (88/347/EEC) Carbon tetrachloride (86/280/EEC) Mercury (84/156/EEC) UWWT (91/271/EEC) Proposed Ecological Directive (COM(93) 680) Sampling and Analysis (79/869/EEC) (As, Ba, Be, BOD, NH3, Bo, Cd, Cl) |
1 | Over 1 year | Titanium
Dioxide (82/883/EEC) (Ca, Cl, Crgw, Cugw , Fe gw, Pbgw,
Mn, Ni, pH, SO4, Ti, Vn, Zn) Sampling and Analysis (79/869/EEC) (NH3, As, Ba, BOD, Bo, Cd, Cl) |
2 | Over 1 year | Sampling and analysis (79/869/EEC) (NH3, As, Ba, BOD, Cd, Cu) |
3 | Over 1 year | Titanium
Dioxide (82/883/EEC) (Cd, Crsw, Conductivity, Cusw, DO, hydrated
oxides, Fesw, Pbsw, Mngw, Hggw, Ni, pH,
salinity, SS, temperature, Ti, turbidity, Vn, Zn) Sampling and Analysis (79/869/EEC)2 |
4 | Over 1 year | Sampling and Analysis (79/869/EEC)2 |
6 | Over 1 year | Sampling and Analysis (79/869/EEC)2 |
8 | Over 1 year | Sampling and Analysis (79/869/EEC)2 |
12 | Over 1 year | Sampling and Analysis (79/869/EEC)2 |
4 | NS | Sampling and Analysis (79/869/EEC)2 (NH3, BOD, Cl) |
6 | NS | Sampling and Analysis (79/869/EEC)2 (NH3, BOD, Cl) |
8 | NS | Sampling and Analysis (79/869/EEC)2 (NH3, BOD, Cl) |
Table E.2 continued
Frequency | Period | Directives |
12 | NS | Sampling and Analysis (79/869/EEC)2 (NH3, BOD, Cl) |
Fortnightly | 2 weeks before start of bathing season | Bathing Water
(76/160/EEC) (Total and faecal coliforms, colour, mineral oil, surfactants, phenol,
transparency, tarry residue) Proposed Bathing Water (COM(94)36) (E coli, faecal streptococci, dissolved oxygen, pH, colour, mineral oil, surfactants, phenol, transparency, tarry residue) |
Monthly | Before start of bathing season | Proposed Bathing Water (COM(94)36) (Enteroviruses) |
When substance thought to be present or when water quality deteriorated | 2 weeks before start of bathing season | Bathing Water (76/160/EEC) (Faecal streptococci, salmonella, enteroviruses, colour mineral oil surfactants, pH, phenol, dissolved oxygen, pesticides, nitrate and phosphate, cyanide, heavy metals) |
When tendency for eutrophication of water | 2 weeks before start of bathing season | Bathing Water (76/160/EEC) (Ammonia and Kjeldahl nitrogen) |
NS | Over 1 year | Freshwater Fish
(78/659/EEC) (BOD, Cu dissolved, phenolic compounds, total phosphorus, nitrite, suspended
solids) Shellfish Waters (79/923/EEC) (Saxitoxin and taste) |
Weekly | Over 1 year | Freshwater Fish (78/659/EEC) (Temperature) |
Monthly | Over 1 year | Freshwater Fish
(78/659/EEC) (Dissolved oxygen, NH3 petroleum hydrocarbons, total zinc,
residual chlorine, pH) Shellfish Waters (79/923/EEC) (Dissolved oxygen, salinity) |
Half yearly | Over 1 year | Shellfish Waters (79/923/EEC) (Metals and organohalogenated substances) |
Sufficient4 | NS | Cadmium (83/513/EEC)
HCH (84/491/EEC) Mercury (82/176/EEC) |
Every 6 months | Operating and aftercare phases | Proposed Landfill Directive (COM (93) 275) (Composition and level of groundwater) |
Once | Once before exploitation of source | Drinking Water (80/778/EEC) |
Quarterly | Over 1 year | Shellfish Waters (79/923/EEC) (Colour, faecal coliforms, petroleum hydrocarbons, pH, SS, temperature) |
Monthly and more frequently in flood periods | Over 1 year 3 and then every 4 or 8 years | Nitrates (91/676/EEC) (Surface water quality) |
Regular intervals | Over 1 year 3 and then every 4 or 8 years | Nitrates (91/676/EEC) (Groundwater) |
Every 4 years | NS | Nitrates (91/676/EEC) (Eutrophic state) |
2. INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS | ||
NS | NS | Moselle 1961 Sarre 1961 Frontier Water Courses (Fi/Ru) 1964 Lake Constance (water withdrawal) 1966 Baltic Sea (Helsinki) 1974/924 (Tin compounds) Danube (Bucharest) 1985 (COD) Danube (Regensburg) 1987 North Sea (Conference) 1990 Technical Co-operation (Bu/Gr) 1991 (Radioactivity) North East Atlantic (OSPAR) 1992 |
Table E.2 continued
Frequency | Period | Directives |
NS | All year | Rhine-(hydrology) 1989 |
Variable according to determinands | Whole year | Rhine 1976 Elbe 1990 |
1 | Whole year | North Sea (NSTF) 1987 |
1 | None | Baltic Sea (Helsinki) 1974/92 (DDT, lindane) |
1 | Research needed | Baltic Sea (Helsinki) 1974/92 (Metals) |
1 | Summer | Baltic Sea (Helsinki) 1974/92 (Hydrocarbons) |
1 | All year | Drava 1954 |
2 | All year | Water Economy (Au/Hu) 19566 |
4 | All year | Danube (Regensburg)
1987 Technical Co-operation (Bu/Gr) 19915 |
5 | Linked to sugar harvest | Frontier waters (Au/Hu) 1970 |
1-6 | Winter | North Sea (NSTF) 1987 |
6 | Four seasons | Baltic Sea (Helsinki) 1974/92 (Physico-chemical determinands) |
6 | Late summer-autumn | Baltic Sea (Helsinki) 1974/92 (Oxygen) |
6 | Winter | Baltic Sea (Helsinki) 1974/92 (Nutrients) |
6-12 | All year | Frontier waters
(Au/Sl) 1970 7 Technical Co-operation (Bu/Gr) 1991 |
12 | All year | Water economy
(Au/Hu) 1956 Danube (Bucharest) 19858 Danube (Regensburg) 1987 North Sea (Conference) 1990 Technical Co-operation (Bu/Gr) 19919 (Flow) |
10-14 | All year | Lake Constance 1960 |
Every 7-10 days | All year | Technical Co-operation (Bu/Gr) 199110 |
2 weeks - 3 years | Variable - Intensive between October and March | Mura 1954 |
Continuously | All year | Technical Co-operation (Bu/Gr) 1991 (River level) |
Continuously | At the end of the first phase | Technical Co-operation (Bu/Gr) 1991(Ammonia, nitrate, chromium VI, cyanides, hydrocarbons, manganese |
Continuously | Since the implementation | Technical Co-operation (Bu/Gr) 1991 (Conductivity, dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, turbidity) |
Notes: 1 Sufficient to show any changes in aquatic environment having regard to natural variations in hydrological conditions
2 Dependent on population served, classification of water (A1, A2, A3) and type of determinand
3 Over 1 year within 2 years of notification of Directive and then every 4 years or every 8 years if below 25 mg NO3 l-1
4 To be investigated in the future
5 more frequently if alert
6 Sampling begins 1997
7 Lowest frequency for Danube, highest for the river March
8 Monitoring started in 1988
9 For flow, mean value for 1 hour more frequently during flood
10 For mobile stations
ns Not specified
For references, please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/92-9167-003-4/page018.html or scan the QR code.
PDF generated on 09 Dec 2024, 12:13 PM
Engineered by: EEA Web Team
Software updated on 26 September 2023 08:13 from version 23.8.18
Software version: EEA Plone KGS 23.9.14
Document Actions
Share with others