A stakeholder dialogue on voluntary and manufacturer-responsible measures for mitigating micropollutants in water bodies is currently underway at the German Centre for Micropollutants as part of a research project. read more
water quality
Water
Assessment of watercourses
In Germany the Federal States (Länder) have the responsibility for monitoring and assessment of surface waters. Important rules for these are defined in the Ordinance on the Protection of Surface Waters (Oberflächengewässerverordnung – OGewV). The requirements of the EC Water Framework Directive (WFD) were transposed into this german law. read more
Water
Biological quality classification of watercourses
Biological water quality classification (saprobic system) is the oldest existing water quality classification, and a map has been published every five years since 1975 until 2000 by the Working Group of the Federal States on Water Issues (LAWA), the Biological Water Quality Map of Germany. It uses biological indicators (macrozoobenthos = invertebrates dwelling on the riverbed) to describe the oxyg... read more
