River Hydromorphology Assessment Technique (RHAT) Training Manual Version 2
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 Rapid Assessment Technique (RAT). The initial developers in 2005 were Professor Keith Richards and Dr Rachel Horn, who based the technique on the US Environmental Protection Agency Rapid Bio-Assessment Protocols and the Environment Agency (EA) River Habitat Survey (RHS). However, the RAT method and forms have been largely modified from the initial draft by NIEA staff using expert knowledge, guidance from the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN), and practical application. The developed method has been renamed the River Hydromorphology Assessment Technique (RHAT).
