Article 3

For the purposes of the assessment of the chemical status of a body or a group of bodies of groundwater pursuant to Section 2.3 of Annex V to Directive 2000/60/EC, Member States shall use the following criteria:

▼M2

▼B

The threshold values applicable to good chemical status shall be based on the protection of the body of groundwater in accordance with Part A, points 1, 2 and 3 of Annex II, having particular regard to its impact on, and interrelationship with, associated surface waters and directly dependent terrestrial ecosystems and wetlands and shall inter alia take into account human toxicology and ecotoxicology knowledge.

The quality standards for the substances numbered 3 to 8 in Annex I to this Directive shall take effect from 22 December 2027, with the aim of achieving good groundwater chemical status in relation to those substances by 22 December 2039 and preventing deterioration in the chemical status of groundwater bodies in relation to those substances. For that purpose, Member States shall, by 22 December 2027, establish a supplementary monitoring programme and, by 22 December 2030, a preliminary programme of measures covering those substances. A final programme of measures, in accordance with Article 11 of Directive 2000/60/EC, shall be included in the 2033 river basin management plan produced in accordance with Article 13(7) of that Directive.

Threshold values established in accordance with Article 3(1)(b) and the threshold values listed in Part D of Annex II shall take effect from the beginning of the following river basin management plan period after the date the threshold value was set, with the aim of achieving good groundwater chemical status in relation to the corresponding substances by the end of that river basin management plan period and of preventing deterioration in the chemical status of groundwater bodies in relation to those substances.

Threshold values referred to in paragraph 1(b) may be established at the national level, at the level of the river basin district or the part of the international river basin district falling within the territory of a Member State, or at the level of a body or a group of bodies of groundwater.

Member States shall ensure that, for bodies of groundwater shared by two or more Member States and for bodies of groundwater within which groundwater flows across a Member State's boundary, the establishment of threshold values is subject to coordination between the Member States concerned, in accordance with Article 3(4) of Directive 2000/60/EC.

Where a body or a group of bodies of groundwater extends beyond the territory of the Community, the Member State(s) concerned shall endeavour to establish threshold values in coordination with the non-Member State(s) concerned, in accordance with Article 3(5) of Directive 2000/60/EC.

Member States shall publish all threshold values referred to in paragraph 1(b) of this Article in their river basin management plans to be produced under Article 13 of Directive 2000/60/EC, together with a summary of the information set out in Part C of Annex II to this Directive.

Member States shall amend the list of threshold values applied in their territories whenever new information on pollutants, groups of pollutants or indicators of pollution, also taking into account the precautionary principle, indicates that a threshold value needs to be set for an additional substance, that an existing threshold value needs to be modified or that a threshold value previously removed from the list needs to be re-inserted. If relevant threshold values are established or amended at Union level, Member States shall adapt the list of threshold values applied in their territories to those values.

▼B

Threshold values can be removed from the list when the body of groundwater concerned is no longer at risk from the corresponding pollutants, groups of pollutants, or indicators of pollution.

Any such changes to the list of threshold values shall be reported in the context of the periodic review of the river basin management plans.

The Commission shall publish a report by 22 December 2009 on the basis of the information provided by Member States in accordance with paragraph 5.