What is BS EN 14614 about?
BS EN 14614 discusses water quality. BS EN 14614 gives you guidance for assessing the hydromorphological features of rivers. The word ‘river’ is used as a generic term to describe flowing watercourses of all sizes, except artificial water bodies such as canals.
BS EN 14614 focuses on the structural features of rivers, geomorphological and hydrological processes, and river continuity. BS EN 14614 provides guidance on the features and processes to be considered when characterizing and assessing the hydromorphology of rivers.
Although it has particular importance for the WFD by guiding assessing hydromorphological quality, BS EN 14614 has a considerably wider scope for other applications.
Note 1: Although BS EN 14614 does not constitute CIS guidance for the WFD, relevant references provided by the CIS expert group on hydromorphology have been included in the Bibliography.
Note 2: BS EN 14614 does not attempt either to describe methods for defining high status for hydromorphology under the WFD or to link broadscale hydromorphological classification to assessments of ecological status.
Who is BS EN 14614 for?
BS EN 14614 on water quality is useful for:
- Government bodies
- Geological scientists
Why should you use BS EN 14614?
River habitats and physical processes have suffered historically from a wide range of human impacts, especially changes in land use, since World War II. In most European countries there is now widespread agreement among environment and conservation agencies to see modified rivers returned to a more natural condition.
BS EN 14614 provides methods developed, tested, and compared in Europe, including the pan-European REFORM project. BS EN 14614 aims to improve the comparability of hydromorphological assessment methods, data processing and interpretation. BS EN 14614 provides broad recommendations for the types of parameters that should be assessed, and the methods for doing this, within a framework that offers the flexibility to plan affordable programmes of work. Following BS EN 14614 guidelines would start the process for restoring rivers to a more natural condition.
