CELEX: 51988PC0029
Language: en
Date: 1988-01-29
Title: Modified proposal for a Council Directive on water quality objectives for chromium and limits for chromium in waters (submitted by the Commission under article 149 (3) EEC Treaty)

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DE LA COMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (88) 29
Vol. 1988/0006
 ---pagebreak--- Disclaimer
Conformément au règlement (CEE, Euratom) n° 354/83 du Conseil du 1er février 1983 concernant
l'ouverture au public des archives historiques de la Communauté économique européenne et de
la Communauté européenne de l'énergie atomique (JO L 43 du 15.2.1983, p. 1) modifié en dernier
lieu par le règlement (UE) 2015/496 du Conseil du 17 mars 2015 (JO L79 du 25. 3.2015, p. 1), ce
dossier est ouvert au public. Le cas échéant, les documents classifiés présents dans ce dossier
ont été déclassifiés conformément à l'article 5 dudit règlement ou sont considérés déclassifiés
conformément aux articles 26(3) et 59(2) de la décision (UE, Euratom) 2015/444 de la
Commission du 13 mars 2015 concernant les règles de sécurité aux fins de la protection des
informations classifiées de l'Union européenne.
In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983 concerning
the opening to the public of the historical archives of the European Economic Community and the
European Atomic Energy Community (OJ L 43, 15.2.1983, p. 1), as last amended by Council
Regulation (EU) 2015/496 of 17 March 2015 (OJ L 79, 27.3.2015, p. 1), this file is open to the
public. Where necessary, classified documents in this file have been declassified in conformity
with Article 5 of the aforementioned regulation or are considered declassified in conformity with
Articles (26.3) and 59(2) of the Commission Decision (EU, Euratom) 2015/444 of 13 March 2015
on the security rules for protecting EU classified information.
In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom 1. Februar
1983 über die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europäischen Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft und
der Europäischen Atomgemeinschaft (ABI. L 43 vom 15.2.1983, S. 1), zuletzt geändert durch die
Verordnung (EU) Nr. 2015/496 vom 17. März 2015 (ABI. L 79 vom 25.3.2015, S. 1), ist dieser Akt
der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich. Soweit erforderlich, wurden die Verschlusssachen in diesem Akt in
Übereinstimmung mit Artikel 5 der genannten Verordnung freigegeben; beziehungsweise werden
sie auf Grundlage von Artikel 26(3) und 59(2) der Entscheidung der Kommission (EU, Euratom)
2015/444 vom      13.   März 2015     über die   Sicherheitsvorschriften für den Schutz von  EU-
Verschlusssachen als herabgestuft angesehen.
 ---pagebreak--- COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                                     COM(88 ) 29 final
                                             Brussels ,   29 january 1988
           Modified proposal for a Council Directive on water
  quality objectives for chromium and limits for chromium in waters
   ( submitted by the Commission under article 149 ( 3 ) EEC Treaty )
 ---pagebreak--- 1 . Explanatory Memorandum
      The aim of this modification to the " proposal for a Council
      Directive on water quality objectives for chromium" is to bring
      industrial discharges into the programming of pollution reduction
      programmes for water pollution by chromium ; to extend the chemical
      types of chromium involved to include total chromium; to define
      differently the degree of compliance of samples ; to rationalize
      the quality objectives for freshwaters and to quantify the quality
      objective for sediments ; in the application of Directive
      76 / 464 / EEC m to reducing pollution of Community waters by
      chromium .
2 . Opinion of the European Parliament on the proposed directive on
      water quality objectives for chromium
At its sitting on 19 June 1987 , Parliament adopted a resolution
containing its opinion on the proposal for water quality objectives
 for chromium .
 It approved the Commission 's proposal while inviting it to
 incorporate 13 amendments , as provided for by the third paragraph of
Article 149 of the Treaty .
The Commission accepted twelve of these amendments because they were
 complementary to its aim of co-ordinating the programmes for the
 reduction of pollution by chromium of Community waters . The
 amendments differed from the Commission 's proposal mainly by being
more severe and by their imposition of limits for industrial
discharges . In agreeing to these amendments account was taken of
Parliament 's view that the need for rules on substances on List II
 such as heavy metals is at least as great as it is for List I and
that the fixing of limit values was necessary for reasons of
 competition and to cut down the level of water pollution .
The third amendment was not accepted because it referred to metals
 other than chromium and to a departure from the provisions of the
basic di rective .
 (1 )
       0 J No . L 129 , 19.5.1976 , p. 23
                                                                          Z
 ---pagebreak---                  3 . Comments on the modified proposal
The change in nature of the modified proposal necessitated a change
in title . To rationalize , the quality objectives against hardness
has been dropped for a single quality objective but a parameter for
total chromium in addition to dissolved chromium has been added as a
" catch all " for reasons of completeness ( annex I ). The numerical
changes reflect a statistical change from maximum values to 90%i le
values and additionally a small safety factor ( annex I ).
The standstill requirement for chromium in sediments in the original
proposal is replaced by a quantitative value ( annex I ).
An important modification is the inclusion of limits for total
chromium in industrial discharges which are complementary to the
achievement of the stated quality objectives ( article 3.1 and annex
I ).
The periodicity at which the Commission shall report on the
implementation of national programmes is reduced from 9 yearly to 6
yearly ( Article 5.3 ).
Details on analysis , accuracy and precision have been modified to
accommodate the changes in quality objectives and limits for
industrial discharges ( Annex II ).
 ---pagebreak--- Modified proposai for a
                            Council directive
  on water quality objectives for chromium
                                  Tit le
Original Proposai                        Modified Proposai
                                         Add the following :
Proposal for a Council Directive         Proposal for a Council Directive
on water quality objectives for          on water quality objectives for
chromium                                 chromium and limits for chromium
                                         in waters
                   Citations and 1st and 2nd recitals
                                unchanged
                               3rd recital
                                         Add the following :
Whereas the national programmes to       Whereas the national programmes to
reduce pollution must include quality    reduce pollution must include quality
objectives for water and set deadlines   objectives for water and set deadlines
for their implementation ;               for their implementation ; whereas
                                         discharges into waters which are
                                         liable to contain chromium shall
                                         require prior authorization in which
                                         emission standards shall be laid down
 ---pagebreak---                        Remaining recitals to Article 1(1 )
                                    unchanged
                                   Article 1.2
                                              Add as follows :
2 . This directive shall apply to the         This directive shall apply to the
waters referred to in Article 1 of            waters referred to and defined in
                                              Article 1 of Directive 76 / 464 / EEC .
                                              ( rest unchanged )
                                Article 2a and b
                                    unchanged
                                  Article 2c , d
                                              New article 2c
( c ) 'programmes' means   the programmes     'total chromium means the
      established by the   Member States      concentration of chromium in an
      to reduce chromium   pollution of       unfiltered sample after vigorous
      water , as provided  for by             treatment in a digester .
      Article 7 ( 1 ) of Directive
      76 / 464 / EEC .                        ( Article 2c becomes Article 2d )
                                   Article 3.1
                                              Add as follows :
1 . The national programmes must contain ... listed in Annex I. Emission
     quality objectives which are at          shall be laid down to meet these
     least as strict as the requirements quality objectives which are at
     listed in Annex I.                       least as strict as those laid down
                                              in Annex I.
                                   Article 3.2
                                    unchanged
 ---pagebreak---                                          Artide 4
                                                  Change as follows :
    Member States shall adapt their                ... by 15 September 1988 . Implementation
    programmes in accordance with this            of the programmes shdT~be completed
    Directive by 15 September 1986 .              by 15 September 1991 .
    Implementation of the programmes
    shall be completed by 15 September
    1991 .
                                        Article 5.1
                                                  Change as follows :
1 . Member States shall communicate                ... with respect to chromium by
    to the Commiaaion summaries of                15 September 1988 .
    programmes pursuant to Article
    7 ( 6 ) of Directive 76 / 464 / EEC
    with respect to chromium by
    15 September 1986 .
                                        Article 5.2
                                         unchanged
                                        Article 5.3
                                                  Change as follows :
    . .. beginning in 1993 and at nine-           ... beginning 1993 and at six-yearly
    yearly intervals thereafter ...               intervals thereafter _
                                        Article 6.1
                                                  Change as follows :
    1 . Member States shall take the .            ... with this Directive by 15
    measures necessary to comply with             September 1988 .
    this Directive by 15 September 1986 .
                                                                                          ê
 ---pagebreak---                                            Articles 6.2 and 7
                                               unchanged
                                                 Annex I
                                                         Replace Annex I by the following text :
           The programmes to reduce chromium             The programme to reduce chromium
           pollution of water shall include              pollution shall include quality
           quality objectives for the waters             objectives for the waters specified
           specified below .                             below .
           The competent authority shall select          The competent authority shall apply
           from among the quality objectives             the quality objectives listed in
           listed in paragraphs 1 , 2 and 3 the          paragraph 1 and emission standards
           objective or objectives that it deems         laid down in paragraph 2 and dilution
           appropriate having regard to the              may not be used as a means of
           intended use of the area in question .        complying with the standard :
           1 . The concentration of dissolved            1 . The water or sediment shall have
               chromium in freshwater capable            such a quality that 90% of all
               of supporting fish life and               measurements of_ chromium in
               other aquatic fauna and flora             a year remain below the following
               shall not exceed the following            values :
               values , depending on water
               hardness :                                                            Chromium
                                                             medium       dissolved         total
Water hardness        up to  50-100   100-200    over    inland surface     10 yug / l     15 yug / l
( mg / l CaCOj )        50                        200          water
Di ssolved
                                                         internal coastal
                                                         and sea water
                                                                             3 fjg /\.      5 /jg / 1
Chromium                5       10       20        50
Çug / l )                                                river sediments                  200 mg / kg
                                                         ( excluding estuaries )        of dry matter
           2 . In order to protect marine fauna
               and flora , the concentration of          2 . The concentration of total chromium in
               dissolved chromium in seawater            industrial discharges or cooling water
               must not exceed 15yug / l .               discharges shall not exceed 2 milligrams /
                                                         litre as measured on each analysis .
           3 . The content of chromium in
               freshwater and / or seawater
               sediments and / or shellfish , must
               not increase significantly in the
               course of time .
               With the exception of the quality
               objective indicated in paragraph 1 ,
               all concentrations relate to the
               arithmetic mean of the results
               obtained over one year .
 ---pagebreak---                                Annex II , 1 and 2
                                   unchanged
                                  Annex II , 3
                                             Change as follows :
3 . The limits of detection shall be         3 . The limits of detection shall be
    such that the chromium                   such that the chromium concentration
    concentration can be measured to         can be measured to an accuracy of 50%
    an accuracy of 30% and a                 and a precision of 50% at a concentration
    precision of 20% at a                    of 1 microgram / litre , an accuracy of 30%
    concentration of 5 yug / l or one-       and a precision of 20% at a concentration
    tenth of the chromium                    of 5 micrograms / litre and an accuracy
    concentration specified in the           of 20% and a precision of 15% at a
    quality   objective , whichever          concentration of 15 micrograms per litre .
    is the greater .
                                 New Annex 11,4
                                             Add new paragraph :
                                             4 . Measurement of sediments must be
                                                 carried out after treatment in a
                                                 digester with the appropriate acid
                                                 to put the chromium into solution
                                                 so that the samples can be examined
                                                 by atomic absorption spectrophotometry .
                                                 The limit of detection of the
                                                 measurements should not be greater
                                                 than 20 milligrams per kilogram of
                                                 sample .