Monitoring and reporting

There are many factors driving SEPA's environmental monitoring work, including:

  • European statutory monitoring
  • assessment of the state of the environment
  • monitoring to support licence conditions
  • compliance monitoring
  • pollution event monitoring
  • development of innovative approaches to monitoring and assessment.

Monitoring can also take place in connection with Environmental Improvement Action Plans (EIAPs) and investigative sampling. These plans describe and legitimise proactive projects that are undertaken to achieve a specific positive environmental outcome. Many are derived from individual initiatives and involve working with other departments or organisations.

As part of European statutory monitoring, the Water Framework Directive (WFD) has required wide ranging changes to the water environment monitoring carried out by SEPA. The WFD defines three main types of monitoring: surveillance, operational and investigative.

SEPA now has a monitoring network which will provide the data to support the aim of European legislation: that all water bodies should be of good ecological status by 2015.

The WFD required SEPA, and other responsible organisations in Scotland, to develop new monitoring and classification systems by December 2006. The monitoring and classification systems covers all surface water and groundwater bodies, and is based on a new ecological classification system, with five quality classes (High, Good, Moderate, Poor, Bad).

The classification system is underpinned by a range of biological quality elements, supported by measurements of physico-chemistry, hydrology and morphology.

In order to help deliver these new monitoring requirements, SEPA has developed a Scottish Monitoring Strategy which involves all scientific functions and partnerships with many important external organisations and stakeholders.

In future, SEPA and partner organisations will also develop Measures Delivery Plans (similar process to EIAPs mentioned above) where these are required for WFD River Basin Planning.