The European commission has proposed new EU-wide water quality standards for a set of 33 priority chemical pollutants picked out for early attention under the water framework directive (WFD). Twelve of the substances have been classed as priority hazardous substances (PHSs). Emissions of these must be phased out by 2025.

As revealed by ENDS last month, the commission has dropped plans for complementary EU-wide emission limits for sources of the chemicals to help meet the quality standards, despite being required to table them by the directive. It says existing EU legislation can do the job and has justified its decision with a cost-benefit analysis.

"One drop of a hazardous substance can be enough to pollute thousands of litres of water, so it is vitally important that we properly control chemicals that pose a threat," environment commissioner Stavros Dimas said on Tuesday. The standards must be agreed by governments and MEPs before entering force.

The draft water quality standards are set out as maximum allowable concentrations and annual average values for the 33 substances in inland surface waters and other waters. Member states would have to meet the standards by 2015.

The standards for lead and nickel are provisional pending the completion of EU risk assessments. For three of the substances - hexachlorobenzene, hexachlorobutadiene and methyl-mercury - the commission proposes additional concentration limits in aquatic organisms. It also proposes further standards for an additional eight substances covered by current EU legislation that is soon to be repealed.

Member states would have to draw up maps of "transitional areas of exceedance" where concentrations of the pollutants are currently higher than the standards. They would then have to review industrial pollution permits "with a view to progressively reducing the extent" of these zones.

The list of 33 substances was originally drawn up in 2001, a year after the WFD was agreed (EED 09/10/01 http://www.endseuropedaily.com/10776). Eleven were picked out immediately as PHSs, emissions of which, says the WFD, must cease within 20 years. Fourteen others were left under review. Of these the commission now concludes that only one - anthracene - should be classed as a PHS.

The other substances under review included several important pesticides, lead and the phthalate DEHP. The decision not to classify as PHSs will avoid significant economic implications that would have been inevitable had governments been forced to cease their emissions by 2025.

No new EU emission controls are needed because "the current body of EU legislation should in most cases enable achievement of the WFD objectives," the commission says. The new Reach regulation and ongoing reviews of EU pesticides and industrial pollution control legislation will further cut emissions, it adds.

Proposing extra emission controls on top of these would cost between E1.6bn and E2.9bn annually, with "significant impacts" on the iron and steel in particular, the commission says. Meanwhile, the potential costs and potential benefits of setting just water quality standards "are the same order of magnitude".

Meeting the standards should cost E700m annually. Against this the direct benefits of cleaner drinking water and sediments will amount to E100-400m each year. There will be additional indirect benefits for the fishing and shellfish sectors and increased opportunities for firms selling cleaner technologies.

European pesticide trade body Ecpa welcomed the commission plans: "they should lead to an effective legislative framework to ensure sustainable approaches to surface water quality management," environment manager Stuart Rutherford said. Green group EEB complained that the lack of emission controls was "like setting speed limits and forgetting to set rules how to police them".