Historic River Quality Objectives
Summary
This record is for Approval for Access product AfA164. The River Quality Objectives (RQO) classification was used for planning water quality improvements until 2006 when the scheme ended. RQOs were assigned to all significantly sized rivers (based on river flow). RQOs were based on the River Ecosystem (RE) Classification Scheme which was introduced in 1994 to replace the National Water Council's methodology. The RE system consists of five classes (1-5) based on the same determinands used in the General Quality Assessment (GQA) chemistry assessment of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), ammonia and dissolved oxygen but also includes the additional determinands of (free (or un-ionised) ammonia, pH, hardness, dissolved copper and total zinc) that reflect the requirements of a river ecosystem. Chemical samples were taken 12 times a year. Any river quality failures, their reasons and actions to be taken, were stored in separate tables. The national RQO classification scheme ceased at the end of 2006, it is now a fixed table which will not be updated. RQO compliance figures are available for 1997-2006.
Categories
Use limitation statement
There are no public access constraints to this data. Use of this data is subject to the licence identified.
Licence
Open Government LicenceAttribution statement
© Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2015. All rights reserved.
Technical information
Update frequency
notPlanned
Lineage
The rivers ecosystem (RE) assessment scheme was a national scheme used to assess river water quality based on results of water column sampling. Sample point locations were monitored for 7 chemical parameters and annually assessed against the standards specific to each RE class. Data is represented as river stretches and stored in a stand alone access database on the O drive (Environment Agency's shared drive).
Spatial information
Coordinate reference system
http://www.opengis.net/def/crs/EPSG/0/27700Geographic extent
- Latitude from: 49.943 to 55.816
- Longitude from: -6.236 to 2.072
Metadata information
Language
English
Metadata identifier
64d6ed70-d465-11e4-9fde-f0def148f590
Published by
Environment Agency
Contact publisher
Defra Data Services ForumDataset reference dates
Creation date
01 January 2007
Revision date
N/A
Publication date
N/A
Period
- From: 01 April 1976
- To: 31 March 2006
Search
Data and Supporting Information
Data services and download by area of interest | Link | Action |
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Full downloads and supporting documentation | Format | Action |
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Historic_River_Quality_Objectives.zip.zip | ZIP | Download |