Water Availability and Quality Programme, Defra ‘We are writing to inform you that Defra has earlier this week, issued The Water Framework Directive (Standards and Classification) Directions (England and Wales) 2015 to the Environment Agency.   These Directions have been published as an associated document of the Water Environment (WFD) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015, SI 2015/1623, on the Legislation.GOV.UK and can be accessed under More Resources on the Regulations web page.

These Directions have replaced the River Basin Districts Typology, Standards and Groundwater Threshold Values (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Directions 2010 and the River Basin Districts Surface Water and Groundwater Classification (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Direction 2009. The new Directions set out the environmental standards to be used for the second cycle of river basin plans. Along with the updated Water Environment (WFD) (England and Wales) Regulations 2003, they transpose Directive 2013/39/EC on environmental quality standards for priority substances.

A notice of this has been published in the London Gazette, and the Directions can directly be accessed at:   http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/1623/resources .