Lakes - Classification & Monitoring: a strategy for the classification of lakes

This is the report on Lakes – Classification and Monitoring, a strategy for the classification of lakes by the National Rivers Authority. This report describes a scheme for the assessment and monitoring of water and ecological quality in standing waters, greater than about 1ha in area, in England and Wales although it is generally relevant to Northwest Europe. Thirteen hydrological, chemical and biological variables are used to characterize the standing water body in any current sampling. Statistical testing on the chemical variables showed that at least six samples during a year would be needed to produce a representative sampling mean; but in this scheme the choice of variables minimizes logistic cost by not using boat sampling and time costs by not demanding extensive taxonomic work. Standing waters are classified in a state-changed system in which the contemporary values of the variables are compared with a reference baseline state and then placed in categories of percentage change from this baseline. The scheme is presently designed for use at about five year intervals on all lakes greater than 2ha area plus additional lakes of significant amenity or conservation interest.

Wetland resource evaluation and the NRA's role in its conservation. Classification of British wetlands

This is the Wetland resource evaluation and the NRA's role in its conservation: Classification of British wetlands report produced by the National Rivers Authority in 1995. This R&D document provides a clear classification for wetlands in England and Wales. The classification incorporates many of the existing ideas on the subject but avoids some of the problems associated with other classifications. A two-layered 'hydrotopographical' classification is proposed. The first layer identifies situation-types, i.e. the position the wetland occupies in the landscape, with special emphasis upon the principal sources of water. The second layer identifies hydrotopographical elements, i.e. units with distinctive water supply and, sometimes, distinctive topography in response to this. This system is seen as an independent, basic, classification upon which it is possible to superimpose additional, independent classifications based on other features (e.g. base-status, fertility, vegetation, management etc.). Some proposals for such additional classifications are provided.