European Union Environmental Objectives (Standards for Monitoring of Quality Elements) Regulations 2016 (S.I. No. 277 of 2016)

STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS. S.I. No. 277 of 2016 ———————— EUROPEAN UNION ENVIRONMENTAL OBJECTIVES (STANDARDS FOR MONITORING OF QUALITY ELEMENTS) REGULATIONS 2016 2 [277] S.I. No. 277 of 2016 EUROPEAN UNION ENVIRONMENTAL OBJECTIVES (STANDARDS FOR MONITORING OF QUALITY ELEMENTS) REGULATIONS 2016 I, SIMON COVENEY, Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 3 of the European Communities Act 1972 (No. 27 of 1972) and for the purpose of giving effect to Directive 2014/101/EU of 30 October 20141 amending Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy hereby make the following Regulations: 1. These Regulations may be cited as the European Union Environmental Objectives (Standards for Monitoring of Quality Elements) Regulations 2016. 2. In these Regulations— “Agency” means the Environmental Protection Agency; “Water Framework Directive” means Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy. 3. The Agency, and any other person or body as appropriate, in undertaking the monitoring requirements of the Water Framework Directive as laid out in the European Communities Environmental Objectives (Surface Waters) Regu lations (S.I. No. 272 of 2009), as amended, shall employ the standards for moni toring of quality elements listed in Schedule 1. 4. Methods used for the monitoring of type parameters shall conform to the international standards listed in Schedule 1 in so far as they cover monitoring, or to such other national or international standards as will ensure the provision of data of an equivalent scientific quality and comparability. 1O.J. No. L311/32, 31 October 2014 Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in “Iris Oifigiúil” of 27th May, 2016. [277] 3 Schedule 1: Standards for monitoring of quality elements Standards for sampling of biological quality elements: Generic methods for use with the specific methods given in the standards relat ing to the following biological quality elements: EN ISO 5667-3:2012 Water quality — Sampling — Part 3: Preservation and handling of samples Standards for phytoplankton: EN 15204:2006 Water quality — Guidance standard on the enumeration of phytoplankton using inverted microscopy (Utermöhl technique) EN 15972:2011 Water quality — Guidance on quantitative and qualitative investigations of marine phytoplankton ISO 10260:1992 Water quality — Measurement of biochemical parameters — Spectrometric determination of the chlorophyll-a concentration Standards for macrophyte and Phytobenthos: EN 15460:2007 Water quality — Guidance standard for the surveying of macrophytes in lakes EN 14184:2014 Water quality — Guidance for the surveying of aquatic macrophytes in running waters EN 15708:2009 Water quality — Guidance standard for the surveying, sampling and laboratory analysis of phytobenthos in shallow running water EN 13946:2014 Water quality — Guidance for the routine sampling and preparation of benthic diatoms from rivers and lakes EN 14407:2014 Water quality — Guidance for the identification and enumeration of benthic diatom samples from rivers and lakes Standards for benthic invertebrate: EN ISO Water quality — Guidelines for the selection of sampling methods 10870:2012 and devices for benthic macroinvertebrates in fresh waters EN 15196:2006 Water quality — Guidance on sampling and processing of the pupal exuviae of Chironomidae (order Diptera) for ecological assessment EN 16150:2012 Water quality — Guidance on pro rata multi-habitat sampling of benthic macro-invertebrates from wadeable rivers EN ISO 19493:2007 Water quality — Guidance on marine biological surveys of hard substrate communities EN ISO 16665:2013 Water quality — Guidelines for quantitative sampling and sample processing of marine soft-bottom macro-fauna 4 [277] Standards for fish: EN 14962:2006 Water quality — Guidance on the scope and selection of fish sampling methods EN 14011:2003 Water quality — Sampling of fish with electricity EN 15910:2014 Water quality — Guidance on the estimation of fish abundance with mobile hydroacoustic methods EN 14757:2005 Water quality — Sampling of fish with multi-mesh gillnets Standards for hydromorphological parameters: EN 14614:2004 Water quality — Guidance standard for assessing the hydromorphological features of rivers EN 16039:2011 Water quality — Guidance standard on assessing the hydromorphological features of lakes Standards for physico-chemical parameters: Any relevant CEN/ISO standards. GIVEN under my Official Seal, 19 May 2016. SIMON COVENEY, Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government. [277] 5 EXPLANATORY NOTE (This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation) These Regulations give effect to Directive 2014/101/EU, which amends Annex V of the Water Framework Directive. Annex V of the Water Framework Directive set out the parameters and criteria required to help ensure that the monitoring and assessment of water across all Member States was uniform and consistent. It established a number of international standards for monitoring of the quality elements related to mac roinvertebrates used to classify water quality. Since the adoption of the Water Framework Directive, a number of new stan dards have been published, which address sampling of phytoplankton; macro phytes and phytobenthos; benthic invertebrates; fish and hydromorphological standards. Directive 2014/101/EU updates section 1.3.6 of the Water Framework Directive to include these standards and removes some of the standards listed which are now obsolete. Ireland had not previously transposed section 1.3.6 of Annex V of the Water Framework Directive and these Regulations now transpose that section as amended by Directive 2014/101/EU. BAILE ÁTHA CLIATH ARNA FHOILSIÚ AG OIFIG AN tSOLÁTHAIR Le ceannach díreach ó FOILSEACHÁIN RIALTAIS, 52 FAICHE STIABHNA, BAILE ÁTHA CLIATH 2 (Teil: 01 - 6476834 nó 1890 213434; Fax: 01 - 6476843) nó trí aon díoltóir leabhar. —————— DUBLIN PUBLISHED BY THE STATIONERY OFFICE To be purchased from GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS, 52 ST. STEPHEN'S GREEN, DUBLIN 2. (Tel: 01 - 6476834 or 1890 213434; Fax: 01 - 6476843) or through any bookseller. —————— €2.54 Wt. (B32094). 285. 5/16. Essentra. Gr 30-15.