Support Danish River Basin Management Plans - DHI Case Story

In 2000, the European Union (EU) adopted the Water Framework Directive (WFD) which sets the basis for managing and protecting the ecological values of European water bodies. The directive initiates a new approach based on natural geographical and hydrological formations – river basins – instead of national boundaries. It applies to all waters, including rivers, lakes, canals as well as coastal and transitional waters. In general, the WFD mandates that all EU Member States meet this common goal: To get all European waters into good ecological status no later than 2027. DHI was commissioned by the Danish Ministry of Environment’s Nature Agency to assist in developing tools for setting nutrient load targets to ensure ‘good environmental status’ in Danish marine waters, hence allowing the authorities to develop specific river basin management plans (RBMPs).