European Analytical Quality Control in Support of the Water Framework Directive via the Water Information System for Europe
Country: EU 25 and Candidate and Accession countries
Client/funding: European Commission / EU FP6 project No. 022603; STREP
Duration: 10/2005 – 10/2008
Partners: 17 European institutions, BRGM, France - coordinator
European analytical quality control scheme for water, sediment and soil analysis. The objectives of EAQC-WISE were:
- To study existing QC tools and systems and scientific outputs suitable to set up a QC system to support the WFD implementation and future EU soil monitoring, also by exploiting links to other stakeholders, such as policy makers and implementers, CIS Working Groups, field and reference laboratories, QC tool providers and relevant research projects;
- To undertake research surveys to identify QC gaps, notably for pre-normative research on difficult parameters and sampling operations with emphasis on priority substances and pollutants of Annex VIII;
- To recommend key steps of a QC system that would provide confidence in analytical data from monitoring at river basin scale as well as at European scale;
- To carry out an impact assessment of such a QC system ensuring data comparability at European level.
The main output was a blue print of an efficient and potentially sustainable QC system for WFD implementation. The blue print was disseminated via CIRCA and the WISE portal of the EC.
Environmental Institute was the task leader in WP2: research surveys to identify QC gaps, notably for pre-normative research on difficult parameters and sampling operations with emphasis on priority substances and pollutants of Annex VIII. Identification of QA/QC training materials and needs in Europe.