Lakes and Watercourses

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Foreword Based on favourable experience with “Environmental Criteria for Lakes and Watercourses”, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency decided in 1994 to develop a more comprehensive system for evaluating a variety of ecoystems, under the heading of “ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY CRITERIA”. This development work has resulted in six separate reports on: the Forest Landscape, the Agricultural landscape, Groundwater, Lakes and Watercourses, Coasts and Seas, and Contaminated Sites. ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY CRITERIA provide a means of interpreting and evaluating environmental data which is scientifically based, yet easy to understand. Indicators and criteria are also being developed by many other countries and international organizations. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency has followed those developments, and has attempted to harmonise its criteria with corresponding international approaches. The reports generated thus far are based on current accumulated knowledge of environmental effects and their causes. But that knowledge is constantly improving, and it will be necessary to revise the reports from time to time. Such revisions and other developments may be followed on the Environmental Protection Agency's Internet web site, www.environ.se. Concise versions of the reports are available there as well. Development of the environmental quality criteria has been carried out in co-operation with colleges and universities. Various national and regional agencies have been represented in reference groups. The project leaders at the Environmental Protection Agency have been: Rune Andersson, Agricultural landscapes; Ulf von Brömssen, Groundwater; Kjell Johansson, Lakes and Watercourses; Sif Johansson, Coasts and Seas; Marie Larsson and Thomas Nilsson, Forest Landscapes; and Fredrika Norman, Contaminated Sites. Project co-ordinators have been Marie Larsson (1995-97) and Thomas Nilsson (1998). Important decisions and the establishment of project guidelines have been the responsibility of a special steering committee consisting of Erik Fellenius (Chairman), Gunnar Bergvall, Taina Bäckström, Kjell Carlsson, Rune Frisén, Kjell Grip, Lars-Åke Lindahl, Lars Lindau, Anita Linell, Jan Terstad, Eva Thörnelöf and Eva Ölundh. In April of 1998, public agencies, colleges and universities, relevant organizations and other interested parties were provided the opportunity to review and comment upon preliminary drafts of the reports. That process resulted in many valuable suggestions, which have been incorporated into the final versions to the fullest extent possible. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency is solely responsible for the contents of the reports, and wishes to express its sincere gratitude to all who participated in their production. Stockholm, Sweden, January 2000 Swedish Environmental Protection Agency 5
Summary This report on lakes and watercourses is one of a six-part series of reports published by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency under the title ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY CRITERIA. The other titles in the series are the Forest Landscape, the Agricultural Landscape, Groundwater, Coasts and Seas and Contaminated Sites. The purpose of this report is to enable local and regional authorities and others to make accurate assessments of environmental quality on the basis of available data on the state of the environment and thus obtain a better basis for environmental planning and management by objectives. Each report contains model criteria for a selection of parameters corresponding to the objectives and threats existing in the area dealt with by the report. The assessment involves two aspects: (i) an appraisal of the state of the environment per se in terms of the quality of the ecosystem; (ii) an appraisal of the extent to which the recorded state deviates from a “comparative value”. In most cases the comparative value represents an estimate of a “natural” state. The results of both appraisals are expressed on a scale of 1 – 5. The report on lakes and watercourses provides a basis for assessing the status of aquatic areas in terms of physical and chemical factors such as nutrients/eutrophication, oxygen levels and oxygen-consuming substances, visibility, acidity/acidification and metals. The report also contains data on which to base an assessment of biological conditions in the form of species balance and quantities of planktonic algae, aquatic plants, diatoms, benthic macroinvertebrates and fish. In general, assessments are assumed to have been based on data gathered in accordance with the instructions in the Swedish EPA Environmental Monitoring Handbook. These environmental quality criteria for lakes and watercourses represent a substantial modification and expansion of the previous version (Swedish EPA General Guidelines 90:4), which they replace. 6
Page 1 and 2: Environmental Quality Criteria - La
Page 3 and 4: TO ORDER Swedish Environmental Prot
Page 5: Reference Group Mats Bengtsson, Swe
Page 11 and 12: included. In addition to a large nu
Page 13 and 14: ased estimates are used. Given that
Page 15 and 16: TABLE 1. SUMMARY of parameters incl
Page 17 and 18: 16 The current conditions scale in
Page 19 and 20: (in Swedish with English summary).
Page 21 and 22: conditions for watercourse flora an
Page 23 and 24: show the availability of nitrogen i
Page 25 and 26: Mean concentration of total phospho
Page 27 and 28: TABLE 9. DEVIATION from reference v
Page 29 and 30: Comments Classifications must be ba
Page 31 and 32: winter/spring, i.e. ice-covered per
Page 33 and 34: Light conditions Introduction Light
Page 35 and 36: TABLE 13. CURRENT CONDITIONS: turbi
Page 37 and 38: Acidity / acidification Introductio
Page 39 and 40: industrial pH). The change in acidi
Page 41 and 42: The pre-industrial concentration of
Page 43 and 44: very high degree of reliability and
Page 45 and 46: TABLE 19. CURRENT CONDITIONS: metal
Page 47 and 48: TABLE 22. DEVIATION from reference
Page 49 and 50: TABLE 24. (continued) Cu Zn Cd Pb C
Page 51 and 52: Swedish EPA (1993): Metals and the
Page 53 and 54: Assessment of current conditions TA
Page 55 and 56: TABLE 29. CURRENT CONDITIONS: poten
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TABLE 32. DEVIATION from reference
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References Cronberg, G., Lindmark,
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(see Appendix 1). If submerged and
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References Andersson, B. (1998): Va
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The genera in question and their tr
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Benthic fauna Introduction Benthic
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TABLE 41. CURRENT CONDITIONS: botto
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Comments The assessment must be bas
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has yielded better results than did
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TABLE 45. CURRENT CONDITIONS: fish,
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TABLE 48. (Contd.) Proportion of al
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Presentation of data When using the
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APPENDIX 1 Ceratophyllum demersum 1
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APPENDIX 2 Calculation of index and
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APPENDIX 2 Table 1b. Indicator gene
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Genus Indicator value -------------
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APPENDIX 2 45 Planorbis sp. 46 Anis
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APPENDIX 2 214 Leuctra hippopus 215
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APPENDIX 2 384 Tinodes waeneri 385
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APPENDIX 2 (6) O/C index (Wiederhol
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APPENDIX 3 Dace Stäm Leuciscus leu
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REPORT 5050 Environmental Quality C
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