Water bodies identified as being at significant risk of failing to achieve good ecological status because of modifications to their hydromorphological characteristics resulting from past engineering works, including impounding works, were provisionally identified as heavily modified for the Article 5 report. These are recorded as modified on the WFD characterisation database and there are currently 476 such water bodies in Scotland, and 3301 in England and Wales. In order for a water body to be designated heavily modified evidence is required to show that the water body would not achieve good status without measures being applied in relation to the modifications that have been made to the hydromorphological characteristics. This paper outlines principles for the methodologies the UK will use to identify which of these bodies can bedesignated without the need for detailed site-specific studies.
