Heavily modified and artificial water bodies

Page Last modified 07 Nov 2018

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Topics: Water and marine environment

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Many European river basins and waters have been altered by human activities, such as land drainage, dredging, flood protection, water abstraction and inter-basin water transfer, the building of dams to create reservoirs and the digging of new canals for navigational purposes.

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These activities often lead to major changes in river processes, primarily in the flow of the river, migration of animal species and the transport of particulate matter. Although the effects may not always be seen locally, their effects can be extensive. Downstream reaches are nearly always affected, and upstream reaches as well as the surrounding areas are often impacted on, too.

Under certain conditions the Water Framework Directive (WFD) permits Member States to identify and designate Heavily Modified Water Bodies (HMWB) and Artificial Water Bodies (AWB). HMWBs are bodies of water which, as a result of physical alterations by human activity, are substantially changed in character. AWBs are water bodies created by human activity. Instead of "good ecological status", the environmental objective for HMWBs and for AWBs is "good ecological potential". This objective has to be achieved by 2015.