www.watersketch.net Strategies for Sustainable River Basin Management Principles, tools and systems to extend spatial planning on water courses – main outcomes of Baltic Sea Region Interreg IIIB project WATERSKETCH Project is part-financed by the European Union Imprint Publisher TuTech Innovation GmbH, Hamburg Editorship Prof Dr Walter Leal, Dörte Krahn Editorial Team Seppo Hellsten, Pia Frederiksen, Teemu Ulvi, Henning Sten Hansen, Ireneusz Zbicinski, Miroslaw Imbierowicz, Jørgen Bidstrup, Linas Kliucininkas, Antanas Kontautas, Susanne Heise Proofread Meike C Mathies, Pro Translation, Dublin Design & Layout TuTech Innovation GmbH, Hamburg Print Schüthedruck, Hamburg Paper This booklet was printed on FSC certified environmental-friendly paper Contact TuTech Innovation GmbH Dept Life Sciences Harburger Schlossstrasse 6-12 D-21079 Hamburg Phone: +49 40 76629-6346 Fax: +49 40 76629-6349 E-Mail: watersketch@tutech.de www.tutech.de www.watersketch.net Dear reader! River basin planning already has a long tradition in water protection terminology Terms such as Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) and several others more sophisticated ones have been applied, but a new approach concerning the whole of Europe was adopted when the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) came into force According to the WFD all European river basins should be subject to river basin management plans with ultimate goal to reach good ecological status or potential in all water bodies The Baltic Sea is one of the most fragile marine areas in Europe with very sensitive brackish water oriented flora and fauna It has been suffering from heavy eutrophication and enrichment of a number of harmful substances In such a region proper river basin planning is one of the most important ways to reduce these harmful effects Due to the objectives of the WFD and the schedule of its implementation, basic data collection, water body status assessment and the development of river basin management plans will require significant efforts in all Member States To clarify and analyse ambiguous and conflicting interests of water course planning, the Baltic Sea Region Interreg IIIB project “Principles, tools and systems to extend spatial planning on water courses – WATERSKETCH” is being realised between 2004 – 2007 The main aims of the project include finding answers to the following questions: What are the main directives and conventions related to the use of river basins as well as to river basin management? How are these demands expressed in land use planning on a regional level now and in future, especially in relation to the development of river basin plans according to the WFD? What are the most common problems in the river basins of the Baltic Sea region? Are there any common tools to be utilised in river basin management? How can we disseminate information on sustainable river basin planning? This booklet includes the key findings of the Watersketch project More detailed results can be found in the "Baltic River Basin Management Handbook" provided free of charge and available as pdf-version for download at www.watersketch.net Thanks to its international dimension, transnational approach and cross-sectoral structure, the information provided in this booklet will provide practical assistance to all those interested in the WFD and its implementation The Watersketch partners hope you find this information useful and enjoy reading the information provided in this booklet The partners of the Watersketch project are: Finnish Environment Institute, SYKE, Finland (lead partner) • TuTech Innovation GmbH, Germany • National Environmental Research Institute, University of Aarhus, Denmark • County of North Jutland, Denmark (replaced later by Danish Ministry of Environment) • Lodz Technical University, Faculty of Process Environmental Engineering, Poland • Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania • Coastal Research and Planning Institute, Lithuania • Hamburg Ministry for Urban Development and the Environment, Germany • North Ostrobothnia Regional Environment Centre, Finland • Kainuu Regional Environment Centre, Finland • University of Turku, Satakunta Environmental Research Institute, Finland • Regional Council of Satakunta, Finland • Northern Environmental Research Network, Finland • Council of Oulu Region, Finland • Joint authority of Kainuu region, Finland What is the Watersketch Toolbox? What tools are in the Toolbox? The Water Framework Directive A Tool for Policy Integration Links to Spatial Planning Public Participation in River Basin Planning Legislation Participation The Watersketch Toolbox Toolbox Content Case studies Germany - Elbe: Challenges for the Hamburg stretch Denmark – Limfjorden: How to reach Good Ecological Status? 11 Poland – Jeziorsko Reservoir: Artificial water reservoir 13 Finland – Kokemäenjoki: Towards a Transactive Scenario Planning 15 Finland – Oulujoki: Multiple use and environmental problems 17 Finland – Oulujoki: Environmental effects of forestry 19 Finland – Oulujoki: Environmental effects of peat production 21 Finland – Oulujoki: Hydropower production 23 Finland – Oulujoki: Protected areas 25 Lithuania – Minija: Towards a sustainable development 27 Lessons learned 29 Case Study The Watersketch Toolbox What is the Watersketch Toolbox? The Watersketch Toolbox The Watersketch Toolbox offers general information and practical tools and methods for sustainable river basin planning and management The Toolbox supports the goals set up by different EU directives, recommendations and strategies related to status and use of surface waters, such as the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP) and the EU Recommendation for Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) The Watersketch Toolbox can be found on the internet at toolbox.watersketch.net What can you find in the Watersketch Toolbox? The Watersketch Toolbox offers a wide set of information about basic principles of river basin management To start with, main elements describing the quality of watercourses and pressures having effects on the quality are described Furthermore, the Toolbox informs users of how to set up the new environmental objectives required by the WFD, as well as of possible measures aimed at improving different quality elements The Toolbox also highlights open and transparent river basin planning and management by offering hints and ideas regarding different methods for citizen and stakeholder participation within the planning processes The user can also find a lot of information about different pieces of EU legislation in relation to water In addition to basic information, several practical tools are presented in the Watersketch Toolbox that apply to the analysis of a variety of problems and aiding decision-making in different phases of river basin planning and management Tools and their features are described in detail, and in addition to user instructions, a wide set of examples from real-life tool applications can be found In addition, the Toolbox offers information of case studies where tools have been applied and tested Why has the Watersketch Toolbox been prepared? The Watersketch Toolbox is designed for assisting environmental specialists, spatial planners, and decision-makers in river basin planning and management Due to the complex character of river basins, different kinds of tools and methods supporting decision and policy making are widely needed The Toolbox aims especially at offering assistance in preparing river basin management plans required by the WFD Tools in the Watersketch Toolbox Altogether, there are six tools available in the Watersketch Toolbox Some of these are available for download to the user’s computer, while others can be used via the internet All tools are freely available for any user The Watersketch Toolbox What tools are in the Toolbox? RiverLifeGIS Toolbox RiverLifeGIS is a software for hydrological and water quality computations on river catchments using geographical information (GI) and monitored water quality data The results can be presented in GIS-based maps RiverLifeGIS offers a possibility to analyse diverse GIS data without expensive commercial software The tool can be downloaded and installed to the user’s computer Web-HIPRE Web-HIPRE is a tool for multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) using a value-tree structure It provides a transparent way to structure complex problems and supports the discovery of preferences in participatory decision making Web-HIPRE software can be used via the internet The Watersketch Toolbox Public Hearing Database Through a Public Hearing Database, contributions from citizens can be easily managed in any kind of spatial planning processes The database works simply in a Microsoft Access environment and can be downloaded to the user’s computer Priority Game Generator Priority Games offer citizens the possibility to attempt for themselves the balancing of their various interests and preferences against each other Priority Game Generator is a general tool for creating new priority games for any decision-making problem, and it works via the internet Responsible partner: Finnish Environment Institute Keywords: ICT-tools, RiverLifeGIS, Web-HIPRE, Public Hearing Database, Priority Game Generator, REGCEL, DHRAM More info at: http://toolbox.watersketch.net The Watersketch Toolbox REGCEL 0,4 0,4 0,3 0,3 0,2 0,2 0,1 0,1 0,0 0,0 Regulated Natural Luomu 1980-1999 2006 Using the REGCEL tool, the ecological impacts of changes in water level fluctuation in lakes can be assessed The tool calculates more than 50 parameters from the water level data, which indirectly describe the impacts of water level fluctuation on benthic invertebrates, vegetation, some fish species and birds nesting near the shoreline Some parameters describe the impacts on scenery and on recreational use The tool itself is not available in the Toolbox, however, several example applications are presented Toolbox Water level rise during bird nesting period (m) DHRAM The DHRAM tool offers a possibility to assess the harmful impacts of flow changes in river ecology The tool calculates some statistical parameters from the daily flow data and estimates the degree of changes in flow circumstances It works in a Microsoft Excel environment and can be downloaded to the user’s computer The Water Framework Directive A Tool for Policy Integration The Water Framework Directive (WFD, 2000/60/EC of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy) came into force on 22 December 2000 It provides a framework for EU water policy aimed at establishing an integrated approach to the protection, improvement and sustainable use of water in Europe Its provisions cover all inland surface waters, groundwater, transitional and coastal waters The management approach is based on River Basin Districts, designated by national authorities, and as such it adheres to an ecosystem based approach to environmental management The implementation process designed for the WFD is a combination of traditional command-and control measures outlined in a number of required procedures, and modern planning elements supporting transparency, involvement and learning The key implementation element is the River Basin Management Plan, which collects the results from the analyses of main pressures and impacts, protected areas, economic analyses, programme of measures and public consultation The WFD aims to streamline EU policy on water This is expressed in the Programme of Measures, which is required to take into account the measures set out in other legislation directed at water bodies or water related issues (such as protected habitats depending on water) This legislation is illustrated below Moreover, if objectives can not be reached through these measures, additional instruments may be designed Directives containing measures included in the programme of measures Bathing Water Directive Birds Directive Habitats Directive IPPC Directive Drinking Water Directive Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive WFD EIA Directive SEVESO II Directive Sewage Sludge Directive Nitrates Directive Plant Protection Products Directive water related directives pressures related directives procedural directives protection of biodiversity in relation to water related measures The Programme of Measures is the procedure to ensure the development and maintenance of water bodies with good quality Subsequently, the aims and measures need to be carried over to other EU and national legislation, notably sector policies such as agriculture, energy, transport, urban development and tourism The legislation on Environmental and Strategic Impact Assessment could be a key tool for this These two directives ensure that major plans, policies and projects are assessed for their impact on environmental objectives Case studies Multiple use and related environmental problems of the Oulujoki river basin The River Oulujoki is situated in Northern Finland and represents a typical northern river basin in Fennoscandia with relatively sparse settlements and low human impacts The catchment area of 22841 km2 is rich in waters and the river basin is dominated by forests The forestry operations, such as clear-cutting, drainage and tillage, may have significant impacts especially on the ecological status of the small upstream lakes and rivers The flow and water level of the Oulujoki river system has been regulated since the 1940s mostly for hydropower production Most of the river channels are dredged and a series of rapids have been transformed into stable water systems under hydropeaking Despite these human induced effects there are large pristine areas situated in the upper part of the river basin including large Natura 2000 areas In general, the main pressures are caused by diffuse loading from agriculture and forestry and hydromorphological changes related to hydro power production In practice the Oulujoki case study is divided into four separate phases localised in the map above: Case Study a) The sub-study on peat production focuses on creating a planning system, which uses mathematical run-off and loading models to evaluate best possible sites and orders for peat production b) The sub-study on forestry focuses on evaluation of harmful effects of forestry on small lakes and ponds to promote sustainable planning of forestry c) The hydropower sub-study describes in detail different conflicts and options related to hydrologically and morphologically heavily modified water bodies d) The sub-study on protected areas develops criteria for assessing conservation values of Natura 2000 areas in relation to the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and puts these into practice for guiding water managers and spatial planners alike 18 Case studies Finland Oulujoki River Basin Forestry 19 Partner: Kainuu Regional Environment Centre Keywords: Finland, Kainuu region, Oulujoki, humic lakes, forestry, eutrophication, siltation Tools used: RiverLifeGIS More info at: www.watersketch.net Case studies Environmental effects of forestry on small humic lakes Type of waterbody: Humic lakes The research area consists of six different lakes situated in the Kainuu region in the upper part of the Oulujoki river basin Four of these lakes are surrounded by different forestry activities and two of them act as reference lakes Common to the six research areas is that they are headwater catchments and that there is a high proportion of peatland in the catchment The catchments of impacted lakes are also earmarked for forestry in the regional planning Main issue: Forestry Forestry is a significant land use activity in Finland In the upper parts of the Oulujoki catchment almost 85 % of all land areas are used for forestry Approximately % of the Kainuu forests are protected to varying degrees Forest management has changed in Finland during the past 50 years Since the 1990s sustainability aspects became a basis for commercial forest management Less harmful methods for soil preparation and more effective watercourse protection methods were introduced This case study focuses on the determination of effects of forestry on small, shallow lakes with high humic content of water Full sets of water quality and biological elements including phytoplankton, benthic invertebrates, aquatic macrophytes and fishes were sampled during the summer 2005 Sediment samples were taken for paleolimnological analysis Main impacts: Eutrophication, Siltation Based on paleolimnological samples all the study lakes including the reference lakes have undergone changes over the past 30-40 years This can mainly be seen in the eutrophication process and increasing siltation Currently, calculated loads based on water samples exceed acceptable loads in most of the lakes Because of the short monitoring period and the fact that information related to effects of forestry on small lakes is scattered, the influences of diffuse loadings on different biological quality elements are speculative Ecological Quality Ratios need further development before they can reliably be applied in the small humic lakes, but few changes were detectable Tools used: RiverLifeGIS Case Study This study developed a new comprehensive approach for the determination of ecological quality in small lakes The RiverLifeGIS tool was used for estimating loadings and evaluating possible sites for water protection structures Lessons learned The study showed the complicated nature of detecting environmental changes caused by the diffuse pollution in small lakes Wetlands, buffer zones, overland flow techniques and sedimentation ponds help to decrease environmental impacts of diffuse pollution Spatial planning, which takes into account sustainable river basin management, can also contribute to water protection measures However, there is currently no clear guidance regarding land use planning and environmental impacts of forestry Because simultaneous or consecutive actions in different parts of the same catchment area may amplify the impacts of any forestry operation, spatial planning together with improved forestry planning systems and more targeted water protection structures would be the best tool for solving diffuse pollution problems 20 Case studies Finland Oulujoki River Basin Peat production 21 Partners: North Ostrobothnia Regional Environment Centre Finnish Environment Institute Keywords: Finland, Muhosjoki, Oulujoki, small river, peat production, diffusive loading Tool used: RiverLifeGIS More info at: www.watersketch.net Case studies Environmental effects of peat production on the River Muhosjoki Type of waterbody: Small river The Muhosjoki river basin is one of the main tributaries of the River Oulujoki, with a length of 59 km and a drainage basin area of 537 km2 The river basin is dominated by forests situated both on mineral and peat soils Open peatlands account for approx one third of the studied area Arable land is concentrated at the lower stretch of the river channel, although fields are common near the riverbanks and also in the headwater areas of the river Main issue: Peat production Diffuse sources form the major part of the total nutrient loading to the River Oulujoki Agriculture and forestry are the main sources of nutrient loading in the River Muhosjoki In this case study a planning system for the assessment of the environmental impacts of new land use activities in a river drainage basin has been presented Peat production has been used as an example of a new loading source Main impacts: Diffusive loading When establishing a new peat production area the peatland is drained, vegetation cover is removed and the fields levelled and shaped As a result of these actions the runoff from the area, and often also the substance concentrations in the runoff water increase, resulting in an increased transport of suspended solids, organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus and iron from the area The case study results showed relatively high concentration of phosphorous and bad river water quality, although that was not directly connected to peat production Other important ecological indicators such as diatoms and aquatic macrophytes indicated also slight changes in the state of the river Tools used: RiverLifeGIS The good ecological state of the river, the target of the WFD, presumes effective use of the existing methods in water pollution control in all land use activities Different loading estimates including the effects of water pollution control measures proved the usability of the RiverLifeGIS tool in river basin management Lessons learned Case Study In general it is almost impossible to distinguish the environmental impacts of peat production from those of the other forms of land derived loading Loading from peat production areas can nowadays be decreased with many kinds of water pollution control structures, such as field ditch retainers, sedimentation basins and wetlands constructed on peatlands These methods are widely used in the Finnish peat production areas Results indicate also that different indicators give a slightly different picture of the state of the river Diatom index IPS and phosphorus concentration have a strong correlation, but IPS suggests a better state than phosphorus concentration Aquatic macrophytes are not reliable indicators in ecological status assessment of small rivers 22 Case studies Finland Oulujoki River Basin Hydropower 23 Partner: Finnish Environment Institute Keywords: Finland, Oulujoki, regulated river, hydropower, hydromorphological change Tool used: DHRAM More info at: www.watersketch.net Case studies Ecological potential of rivers modified for hydropower production Type of waterbody: Regulated river Most of Finland’s large rivers are regulated Most of the regulation is multipurpose combining several objectives For example, the objectives of both hydropower production and flood protection are broadly in line with water level drawdown during the winter The River Oulujoki is 101 km long in the downstream stretch of the Oulujoki river basin with an elevation difference of 122 m It is fully developed for hydropower production by seven hydropower plants; the total amount of hydropower is 450 MW with a total production of TWh Main issue: Hydropower Hydropower greatly affects the status of water courses According to the WFD these hydrologically and morphologically altered water bodies can be designated as heavily modified, meaning they have lower environmental goals called good ecological potential The case study on hydropower focused on determination of ecological potential of the River Oulujoki, which is initially designated as heavily modified according to the WFD Environmental objectives were dealt with a detailed estimation of possible restoration measures and changes in ecological status Main impacts: Hydromorphological change General ecological effects of water level regulation are widely known In the River Oulujoki changes in flow both on an annual as well as on a daily basis have caused significant changes in environmental conditions for flora and fauna The water level was raised to increase hydropower energy production causing significant changes to the structure of the littoral zone The ecological continuum was largely cut by dams and weirs causing significant changes to the natural lifecycle of migratory fish Tools used: DHRAM The case study applied a stepwise procedure of designation of heavily modified water bodies The DHRAM flow estimation tool was used in the designation procedure of heavily modified water body Case Study Lessons learned The main focus was on determination of ecological status and further reference status called maximum ecological potential The final outcome of this study showed that all possible restoration actions only slightly affected the status of the River Oulujoki Therefore, the reference status also differs only slightly from the present status, which means this can be regarded as the maximum ecological potential at the lowermost part of river, where continuity of the river was ensured by fish ladders and bypass channels Other parts of the river were mainly respresenting high ecological potential 24 Case studies Finland Oulujoki River Basin Protected areas 25 Partners: Finnish Environment Institute Kainuu Regional Environment Centre Keywords: Finland, Oulujoki, Lake Lentua, oligotrophic large lake, protected areas, legislation Tools used: Guidelines for evaluating Natura sites More at: www.watersketch.net Case studies Protected areas - Natura 2000 sites and the WFD Type of waterbody: Oligotrophic large lake Lake Lentua is a large, unregulated and oligotrophic lake with 90 km2 water area and a total catchment size of 2065 km2 located in the River Oulujoki catchment area in the Kainuu region, Northern Finland It may become either the national reference lake or regional reference lake of the Finnish lake typology The main part of the lake, altogether 6591 ha, is included in the Natura 2000 network The protected area consists of thirteen recorded Natura habitats of Habitats Directive Annex II and seven bird species recognised in the Birds Directive Annex I Main issue: Protected areas The WFD requires that relevant Natura 2000 areas should be included in the register of protected areas The constitution of relevancy from the protected biological values included in the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, however, remain currently unclear Similarly, the parallel objectives of the WFD and the Natura 2000 Directive, the former focusing on reaching the good status of waters and the latter ones requiring maintenance of the favourable conservational status of species and habitats, raise a number of unanswered questions These questions, as well as principles of preparing general management plans were discussed for the case study of Lake Lentua Main impacts: WFD related legislation To shed light on the interrelations of the WFD and the directives governing Natura 2000 areas, the legally binding biological values recognised in the Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive for Finland were analysed A preliminary proposal of the relevant biological values acknowledged in the Natura 2000 Community legislation was produced in two phases First, the legally binding habitats of the Habitats Directive were assessed for identifying water dependent habitats Then the legally binding species of the Birds Directive were assessed in order to create lists of a) water dependent bird species belonging to the Finnish fauna and b) water dependent bird species frequently migrating via Finland Tools used: Guidelines for evaluating Natura sites Case Study The case study developed new guidelines for evaluating the importance of Natura 2000 sites in relation to the WFD It also created preliminary examples of management plans for water dependent protected sites to be taken into account in spatial planning Lessons learned Water monitoring data, ecological surveys and nature inventories of Lake Lentua were studied and the results were interpreted for harmonising the WFD and Natura 2000 Directive in designing the future water management Water protection guidelines and water management activities that streamline the objectives of Natura 2000 and WFD were produced A complete monitoring programme based on the requirements of the WFD is suggested The linkage between the WFD and spatial planning in the form of restoration means as programme of measures was identified and proposed 26 Case studies Lithuania Minija River Basin 27 Partners: Coastal Research and Planning Institute, Kaunas University of Technology Keywords: Lithuania, Minija, River basin, sustainable river basin management, agriculture, tourism, hydropower Tool used: Web-HIPRE More at: www.watersketch.net Case studies Towards a sustainable development of the Minija river basin Type of waterbody: River basin The River Minija is the eighth river in Lithuania by length (201.8 km) Its whole basin is located in Lithuanian territory and occupies 2942 km² The exceptional feature is the difference in the length between the right and left tributaries The majority of the right tributaries of the River Minija are short, while the left ones are long The River Minija exhibits an unusual characteristic – it discharges at two locations The major flow discharges to the River Nemunas (Atmata), the remainder flows directly into the Curonian Lagoon or into Klaipeda harbour Main issues: Sustainable River Basin Management The study describes environmental problems and conflicts of river/lagoon basins and supports sustainable development to create a water resources management plan according to the requirements of the WFD The aim of this case study is to evaluate the impact of the hydro engineering, agricultural development and recreational activities in the Minija river drainage area on the nature protected areas, migratory fish stocks, water quality and biodiversity The results should prove important for the sustainable development recommendations as well as for mitigation of any potential negative consequences Main impacts: Agriculture, Hydropower, Tourism The study showed that the main elements of impacts on the river basin are hydropower and diffuse sources from agriculture Problems that directly relate to development of hydropower include the deterioration of hydrological regime, river continuity and biodiversity This can lead to conflicts with wildlife protection and water tourism development Agriculture has been one of the major pressures on the biological quality of the waters Eutrophication and planktonic blooms of surface waters were often observed in the river basin The unique nature, rich wildlife and vital ethnographic traditions have great potential for the development of water and agricultural tourism Tools used: Web-HIPRE Case Study A comprehensive overview of the Minija river basin and proposed matrix of impacts and pressures has served as a basis for structuring complex issues At the later stages, the decision support procedure was performed by applying Web-HIPRE software tool Lessons learned A thorough analysis and decision making process requires a comprehensive background in environmental, economic and social disciplines The application of a decision support system provided decision makers and planners with an effective tool Furthermore, experience has shown that it acts as an excellent vehicle for discussion and the development of a consensus Aspects of mapping are incorporated to a high degree in river basin planning and management Thus, further developing Web-HIPRE as a GIS friendly tool would be greatly appreciated by river basin planners and managers 28 Lessons learned The Watersketch project clearly demonstrated the diverse pressures and the status of Baltic Sea river basins The Polish Jeziorsko reservoir is still suffering from nonpurified wastewaters, whereas the status of the Danish Limfjorden is clearly disturbed by nutrient loading from intensive agriculture The mouth of the River Elbe presents environmental problems due to contaminated sediments mainly originating from upstream of this transboundary river basin The Lithuanian River Minija is a typical example of a highly valuable salmon river, where the free movement of fauna between migratory routes and spawning grounds is restricted by dams and other obstacles The Finnish case studies from the River Oulujoki demonstrated the importance of difference land use practices on the status of rivers and lakes; diffusive loading is difficult to combat and especially harmful to sensitive shallow lakes and small streams European legislation including directives, as well as international commitments in conjunction with national laws, form a good basis for sustainable development However, there are some clear contradictions where for example land use practices that cause loading are supported by European funds and, on the other hand, the same practices are limited by directives promoting nature protection values Some watercourse utilization procedures such as hydropower are also taken into account and much lower environmental objectives are allowed Many directives include also a number of goals, which are almost impossible to reach The WFD sets an ultimate goal of good ecological status with a limited number of derogations However, it is generally known that restoration of highly polluted watercourses is difficult and very costly including significant reductions of human activities The Watersketch project developed and utilized several tools for spatial planners to evaluate the effect of different land use practices and especially to solve contradictions between different uses of river basins Tools were developed also for the estimation of nutrient load, ecological status of physically heavily modified rivers and lakes and to gather public opinions Most of these tools are presented in a web based toolbox and handbook to allow further use when applying the WFD and other relevant directives Despite some negative aspects in river basin development, several positive issues were raised in the course of Watersketch The WFD is going to be implemented in a proper and honest way in all case study countries This shows that the Baltic Sea Region is well on the way to implement this important directive and to reach global goals of sustainable development 29 Information More information is available at www.watersketch.net toolbox.watersketch.net Finnish Environment Institute SYKE Dr Seppo Hellsten Teemu Ulvi P.O.Box 413 FIN-90014 University of Oulu Phone: +358 20 490-2961 Fax: +358 20 490-2985 E-Mail: seppo.hellsten@ymparisto.fi or teemu.ulvi@ymparisto.fi www.environment.fi TuTech Innovation GmbH Prof Dr Walter Leal Dörte Krahn Veronika Schulte Harburger Schlossstrasse 6-12 D-21079 Hamburg Phone: +49 40 76629-6346 Fax: +49 40 76629-6349 E-Mail: watersketch@tutech.de www.tutech.de The project is part-financed by the European Union (European Regional Development Fund) within the BSR INTERREG III B Neighbourhood Programme This programme gives countries bordering the Baltic Sea the opportunity to work together in spatial development projects The project period is July 2004 – June 2007 WASKW4-20070424-5-vdo©TuTech Innovation GmbH, 2007 www .net ... Challenges for the Hamburg stretch of the River Elbe and its catchment Type of waterbody: River mouth With respect to the WFD the Elbe river basin consist of three different types of waters: river, ... of the River Oulujoki, with a length of 59 km and a drainage basin area of 537 km2 The river basin is dominated by forests situated both on mineral and peat soils Open peatlands account for approx... development of river basin plans according to the WFD? What are the most common problems in the river basins of the Baltic Sea region? Are there any common tools to be utilised in river basin management?