The European Water Framework Directive [EWFD] requires progressive protection and enhancement to rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal waters and wetlands by the year 2015. The theme of the Directive is that the use of water by humans should be sustainable and not impact unduly on flow, volume and storage and the chemical, physical or ecological quality of the natural water environment. This leads to a need for management of the many human interventions in the water cycle at a river basin scale. River basin planning and management is thus central to the EWFD.