WFD Artificial Water Bodies Surface Water Transfer Channels Cycle 1

Cycle 1 of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) polyline dataset for artificial surface water transfer channels in the UK. The dataset, created by the Environment Agency, contains features attributed with a unique identifier (EA_WB_ID) for linking to other WFD data sources. It covers artificial water bodies only, with natural water bodies available in a separate dataset.

Use Cases

• Mapping and analyzing artificial water transfer infrastructure based on the polyline geometry.
• Linking water body attributes to other WFD data sources like classification and risk assessments based on the unique EA_WB_ID.
• Assessing human-made surface water systems for environmental reporting based on the Water Framework Directive attributes.

Strengths

• Includes a unique identifier (EA_WB_ID) enabling direct linkage to other WFD classification and risk datasets.
• Specifically focuses on artificial water bodies as defined by the Water Framework Directive, providing a clear scope.
• Data is provided in a standard geospatial format (Shapefile) suitable for GIS analysis.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale modeling.
• Data for water bodies in Wales is not provided and must be sourced separately from Natural Resources Wales.

Provenance

Source

Environment Agency

Collection Method

Collated as defined for the implementation of the Water Framework Directive.

Time Range

Cycle 1 of the Water Framework Directive.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-06 07:18:43.409008; freshness should be verified.

Geography

United Kingdom (excluding Wales for water body data).