WFD Cycle 2 River Ammonia Classification: Ecological Status for UK Rivers

UK river water bodies are classified for ammonia levels under the Water Framework Directive. The dataset contains summary classification data derived from spot sampling monitoring, assessed against environmental quality standards. It was produced by the Environment Agency and is superseded by a newer record as of the last update in July 2026.

Use Cases

• Assessing ecological status of river water bodies based on ammonia classification categories.
• Monitoring compliance with Water Framework Directive standards for physico-chemical conditions.
• Analyzing toxic and sub-lethal impacts of ammonia on fish and macro-invertebrates in rivers.
• Studying spatial patterns of nitrogenous organic waste decay products in freshwater environments.

Strengths

• Classification uses a standardized five-category system (High, Good, Moderate, Poor, Bad).
• Data is derived from spot sampling monitoring and assessed against two different environmental quality standards.
• Produced by the authoritative Environment Agency, a UK government body.

Limitations

• The dataset is retired and superseded by a newer record, indicating it is not the current version.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and temporal coverage are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Environment Agency

Collection Method

Derived from spot sampling monitoring data, with results calculated into percentiles.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-17 15:08:28.340102; freshness should be verified as the dataset is retired.

Geography

United Kingdom (river water bodies)