WFD Cycle 2 River Biochemical Oxygen Demand Classification Status

UK river water quality data for Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) from the Environment Agency's Water Framework Directive Cycle 2 assessments. The dataset contains summary classifications derived from spot sampling monitoring data, assessed against environmental quality standards. This record has been retired and superseded by a newer version.

Use Cases

• Assessing river water quality compliance based on BOD percentile calculations.
• Setting site-specific discharge consent limits based on BOD classification categories.
• Analyzing physico-chemical water quality trends using the BOD element set.

Strengths

• Data is sourced from the UK Environment Agency, an authoritative government body.
• Classifications use a defined five-category scale: High, Good, Moderate, Poor, and Bad.
• Results are calculated using a parametric percentile method against environmental quality standards.

Limitations

• This dataset has been retired and superseded by a newer record, indicating it is not the current version.
• Row count and column-level documentation are unknown, limiting suitability assessment.
• The description notes BOD is not used for overall water body status classification, only for site-specific regulation.

Provenance

Source

Environment Agency

Collection Method

Derived from spot sampling monitoring data, calculated into percentiles using a parametric method.

Freshness

Last updated metadata date is 2026-07-17 15:09:03.765293, but the dataset itself is retired.

Geography

United Kingdom rivers