Author Description

Society depends on the satisfactory and sustainable management of water. Historically, the primary purpose of water treatment was to protect human health, through reducing disease being transmitted through water. Subsequent measures to address environmental concerns have broadened our expectations of what water and waste water treatment should deliver. This report considers three pieces of EU water legislation targeted at particular sectors: the Bathing Water Directive (BWD; EEC, 1976; EC, 2006a), the Drinking Water Directive (DWD; EEC, 1980; EC, 1998, 2015a) and the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD; EEC, 1991a) together termed here as the ′water industry directives′. Their objectives regarding specific issues are considered in the context of the Water Framework Directive (WFD, 2000).