SPECIAL ISSUE The Water Framework Directive as an approach for Integrated Water Resources Management: results from the experiences in Germany on implementation, and future perspectives Sandra Richter • Jeanette Vo ¨lker • Dietrich Borchardt • Volker Mohaupt Received: 20 July 2012 / Accepted: 6 March 2013 / Published online: 29 March 2013 Ó Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013 Abstract The implementation of the EU-Water Frame- work Directive (WFD) might also be considered an approach for the implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management in Europe. The WFD outlines the ambitious goal of attaining ‘‘good status’’ for Europe’s rivers, lakes, groundwater bodies and coastal waters by 2015 in accordance with clearly defined time lines and legally binding programmes of measures. EU member states submitted their WFD river basin management plans to the European Commission in March 2010. Almost all member states accomplished the formal implementation, but nations like Germany are far from achieving the ‘‘good status’’. For Germany, exemptions have been claimed for 82 % of all surface water bodies and for 36 % of all groundwater bodies. According to the identified significant pressures and impacts, the German Federal States, the Federal government and the European Union will have to significantly increase the coordination and coherence of the policies in the field of agriculture, energy generation, transport (shipping) and production or use of chemicals. The next generation of river basin management plans may be used for the harmonisation of these topics and extend to the polluter-specific characterization of water body pres- sures and impacts, structures and methods of monitoring, allowing the differentiation of multiple stressors, the designation of heavily modified water bodies and the determination of good ecological potential, exemptions and their justification, coherent transregional management objectives and reporting issues. The present study focuses on the assessment of the status of German water bodies, the achievement of environmental objectives and the necessary measures required to meet the goals. Keywords Water Framework Directive Á River basin management plans Á Surface and groundwater status Á Programmes of measures Á Germany Á Integrated Water Resources Management Introduction IWRM and the implementation of the WFD The paradigm of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) has been generally accepted and is the basis for improving management in the water sector worldwide (Leidel et al. 2011). The Water Framework Directive (WFD) (European Parliament and Council 2000) intro- duced a new approach in the management of water resources in Europe, as it requires not only the compliance of polluters with emission targets but also the achievement of ‘‘good status’’ for surface and groundwaters and the integration of economic issues such as the polluter-pays principle and full cost recovery. The WFD has also been one of the first European Directives to have been broadly adopted which integrates the key requirements of the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters. The WFD thus pursues an inte- grated approach and addresses core elements of Integrated S. Richter (&) Á J. Vo ¨lker Á D. Borchardt Department Aquatic Ecosystems Analysis and Management (ASAM), Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Bru ¨ckstraße 3a, 39114 Magdeburg, Germany e-mail: sandra.richter@ufz.de V. Mohaupt Umweltbundesamt, Wo ¨rlitzer Platz 1, 06844 Dessau-Roßlau, Germany 123 Environ Earth Sci (2013) 69:719–728 DOI 10.1007/s12665-013-2399-7