WFD Cycle 1 Site Classifications 2012: UK Water Body Environmental Status

UK water bodies are given environmental classifications based on data collected at monitoring sites for the Water Framework Directive. The dataset includes supporting classification facts produced by models and is extracted from the Environment Agency's Catchment Planning System. Data are available for each year and WFD planning cycle, with the dataset last updated on 2026-07-17.

Use Cases

• Assess current environmental conditions of water bodies based on monitoring site classifications.
• Evaluate the positive effect of environmental work by comparing subsequent classification results.
• Analyze supporting classification facts produced by the models for catchment planning.

Strengths

• Includes supporting classification facts produced by the models.
• Data are available for each year and WFD planning cycle, providing temporal coverage.
• Extracted from the authoritative Environment Agency's Catchment Planning System.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The dataset has been retired and superseded by a newer record.

Provenance

Source

Environment Agency

Collection Method

Data are collected by field operatives or automated collection methods and passed through classification models.

Time Range

2012 (Cycle 1), with data available for each year.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-17 15:08:05.656109; freshness should be verified.

Geography

United Kingdom (implied by Environment Agency and WFD context).