The Water Framework Directive requires all member states to make an as-sessment of the ecological status in natural, heavely modified and artificial water bodies. The evaluation includes biological elements, physico-chemical compounds of the water and hydromorphological elements (hydrological regime, river conti-nuity, river morphology and valley). In 2009 the Central Inspectorate of Environ-ment Protection in Warsaw accepted a new method of monitoring of the hydro-morphological elements in rivers (MHR), prepared by the authors. The MHR method involves the investigation of main rivers in all Polands (4508) identified water bodies, with a total length of about 75 000 km. This required a review of the investigation methods developed by polish and other member states in 1980-2000. Many international and local regulations, the accessibility of topographic and thematic maps in different scales, as well as data bases for rivers and canals were analysed. The possibility of preparation of different methods for rivers with different catchment areas, in different landscapes, categories and substrate types were studied. The methods used for the assessment of biological elements was examined and shown not to provide adequate information for the investigation of the hy-dromorphological elements. The assessment was based on the characterization of four elements which were ...
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 ...
