Summary:

The main ideas of a new MHR method for hydromorphological river survey and assessment were presented. It is a combination of the substance of the Water Framework Directive 2000/60 and the European standard EN 14614. It takes into account the existing polish data basis, regulations from the Minister of Environ-ment, the Inspire and Reporting directives and the existing experience completed in the Central European countries by the monotoring and assessment of hydro-morphological elements in the last 25 years. The method is strength on the works done in Poland for the implementation of the Water Framework Directive.
The hydromorphological river assessment uses a hierarchic system which allows for the calculation of the ecological quality index. The system's basis is built by four elements: hydrological regime, river continuity, river morphology and the valley. Every element is described by some parameters and these by selected attributes. The separately calculated ecological quality index of elements and parameters allows to discover why the good ecological status was not obtained. The average index for all elements is the index of the water body. The investigations are based on existing topographical and orthophoto maps, data basis of the Institute for Meteorology and Water Management and the river authorities. Field investigations would be done on minimum 10% of the investigated water body length.
A large variability of parameters and attributes along the river bed in in-vestigated rivers show the absolute necessity to include the full water body into the monitoring. Investigations only on a short sections or station points of the water quality monitoring were wrong and the way of analogy of water bodies leads to false results. Because in many water bodies the main stream and their small tribu-taries are connected, it is rational to concentrate investigations only on the main river. In this way the monitoring include about 75 000 km of polish rivers.