Hydromorphological Assessments

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires the assessment of the ecological status of watercourses, encompassing biological, physico-chemical and hydromorphological elements.

Hydromorphology is scientific discipline that examines the physical structure and dynamic processes of waterbodies. The term encompasses the combination of morphological, hydrological and hydraulic characteristics of a waterbody and their physical interaction. Hydromorphological elements contribute towards WFD status classification.

AWN team includes experienced hydrologists and hydrogeologists with extensive experience in hydromorphological projects and hydraulic assessments. AWN offers the full range of services to support this process, including hydromorphological studies for impacts assessments, hydromorphological risk assessments and field survey.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the Republic of Ireland and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), through the North South Shared Aquatic Resource (NS SHARE) project, agreed a field assessment technique for WFD classification called the River Hydromorphology Assessment Technique (RHAT).

The RHAT method classifies river hydromorphology based on a departure from naturalness; it was developed for WFD classification but can also be used as a tool to determine remedial/restoration work required to improve river habitats. It assigns a morphological classification directly related to that of the WFD: High, Good, Moderate, Poor and Bad, based on semi-qualitative and quantitative criteria, which comprise channel morphology and flow types; channel vegetation; substrate diversity and condition; barriers to continuity, bank structure and stability, bank and bank top vegetation; riparian land cover and floodplain interaction.

AWN team includes professional with extensive experience in conducting hydromorphological surveys across diverse river systems, ensuring all assessment criteria are thoroughly evaluated and reported.