The Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) (WFD) came into force on 22 December 2000.

The Directive's requirements with respect to groundwater include:

• The creation of management units for groundwater known as groundwater bodies and the classification of these bodies into either good or poor status dependent on quantity and chemical quality;
  
  
• To ensure that no deterioration in status occurs;
  
  
• To restore bodies of groundwater at poor status to good status where this is technically feasible and does not entail disproportionate cost;
  
  
• To prevent or limit the entry of pollutants to groundwater;
  
  
• To identify and reverse any significant and sustained upward trends of pollutants in groundwater;
  
  
• To introduce control regimes for abstraction and for diffuse sources liable to cause pollution;
  
  
• The drafting of a new groundwater directive concerned with pollution prevention.
  
  

The Water Framework Directive also contains a requirement to protect certain groundwater bodies used for the abstraction of drinking water "with the aim of avoiding deterioration in their quality in order to reduce the level of purification treatment required in the production of drinking water".

The Scottish Executive has transposed the Water Framework Directive into Scottish legislation by means of the Water Environment and Water Services (Scotland) Act 2003.

For more information on the Water Framework Directive click here or to view the directive click here.