AQW 27367/17-22


Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford


Tabled Date: 14/12/2021
Answered On Date: 10/01/2022
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, following the NIEA Water Framework Directive Statistics Report section on Northern Ireland’s Transitional and Coastal Water body Classification Status, to outline the statistical detail and results used for Strangford Lough for the period covered by the report.


Answer:
The Water Framework Directive (WFD) Statistics Report released in December 2021 included Water Framework Classifications based on monitoring data for the period between 2015 and 2020. Strangford Lough is divided into two separate waterbodies that represent the management units for reporting and assessing compliance with the WFD environmental objectives. These are Strangford Lough (North) and Strangford Lough (South).
The ecological and chemical classification results for surface water bodies are combined to give an overall status in one of five classes: bad; poor; moderate; good; and high. The ecological status of a water body is determined by the lowest test element and follows the one-out all-out rule.
The quality elements used to assess ecological status in Strangford include; phytoplankton, macroalgae, angiosperms (sea grass and saltmarsh), zoobenthos and supporting elements such as dissolved oxygen (DO), dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), specific pollutants (Annex VIII), hydromorphology, and high impact invasive species. In excess of 50 chemical pollutants (Annex X - hazardous substances) have been identified for assessing chemical status, returning a good or less than good classification.
As outlined in the statistic report chemical status monitoring has changed to include new substances and monitoring of biota for ubiquitous, persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (uPBT) chemicals for the first time. This has presented difficulties in making direct comparisons with previously published results. In addition, biological quality elements used in ecological status assessment continue to be developed as our understanding improves.
Ecological status (Figures 3a, 4a and 5a of the report) as well chemical status subgroup a (Figures 3b, 4b and 5b) allow backwards comparison with 2015 and 2018.
Over the reporting period 2015-2021 both Strangford Lough waterbodies had an overall surface status (ecological and chemical status combined) of moderate. Over the same period chemical status in both waterbodies failed to achieve good; the ecological status component was also classified at moderate.