The Water Environment (River Basin Management Planning: Further Provision) (Scotland) Regulations 2013

Setting of environmental objectives

3.—(1) The objectives set under section 9(1)(a)(i) (environmental objectives) of the Act must, subject to the application of regulations 5 to 10—

(a) for surface water—

(i) prevent deterioration of the status of each body of surface water;

(ii) protect, enhance and restore each body of surface water (other than an artificial or heavily modified body of surface water) with the aim of achieving good surface water status by 22nd December 2015;

(iii) protect and enhance each artificial or heavily modified body of surface water with the aim of achieving good ecological potential and good surface water chemical status by 22nd December 2015; and

(iv) aim to progressively reduce pollution from priority substances and aim to cease or phase out emissions, discharges and losses of priority hazardous substances;

(b) for groundwater—

(i) prevent the deterioration of the status of each body of groundwater;

(ii) prevent or limit the input of pollutants into groundwater(1);

(iii) enhance and restore each body of groundwater, and ensure a balance between abstraction and recharge of groundwater, with the aim of achieving good groundwater status by 22nd December 2015; and

(iv) reverse any significant and sustained upward trend in the concentration of any pollutant resulting from the impact of human activity in order to progressively reduce pollution of groundwater; and

(c) in addition, for each area and body of water falling within section 7(4) (protected areas) of the Act, achieve compliance with any standards and objectives required by or under any EU instrument described in that section by 22nd December 2015, unless otherwise specified in the EU legislation by virtue of which the area or body of water is protected.

(2) Where two or more of the objectives set pursuant to paragraph (1) apply to the same body of water, to the extent that any of those objectives conflict, the most stringent is to apply.

(1)

Regulation 24 requires certain measures to be included in a programme of measures in order to achieve this objective.