Obtaining the RIVPACS database

The RIVPACS database (last updated on 23rd June 2010) can be downloaded in either Microsoft® Access 2000, 2003 or 2007 by clicking on this link: Download the RIVPACS database. This link takes you to a page which details the terms and conditions governing use of the database, a disclaimer and a link to the RIVPACS database documentation. For further details, contact: Cynthia Davies

The development of this database and webpage has been commissioned by the Scotland and Northern Ireland Forum for Environmental Research (SNIFFER) at the request of the UK Water Framework Directive (WFD) technical advisory group (UKTAG) and is funded by SNIFFER and the Environment Agency of England and Wales.

The aim of SNIFFER is to increase knowledge to help improve our environment, working through a partnership approach; bringing together policy makers, regulators and researchers, on a wide range of initiatives of political and strategic relevance to Scotland and Northern Ireland and beyond.

The overall aims of the project have been to construct a database of all the RIVPACS sites in a readily accessible format to support the implementation of the WFD; incorporating biological (including derived indices), physico-chemical, pressures and ownership data to provide a readily available source of reference for the RIVPACS dataset. In addition to the database itself, there is also an accompanying 'RIVPACS Database Documentation' report and a 'RIVPACS Pressure Data Analysis' report, both of which can be downloaded from the SNIFFER website.

In June 2008 CEH completed a further SNIFFER-funded project (coded WFD72C) to build new RIVPACS IV models for use in Water Framework Directive monitoring. Further information on this work is contained in the report 'River Invertebrate Classification Tool'. This report is available from the SNIFFER website by searching for SNIFFER project code WFD72C.

The RIVPACS database has been updated accordingly and now includes additional information on which sites are used in the new RIVPACS IV models, new datasets used for uncertainty estimation, newly derived estimates of numerical abundances for families, and new tables of biotic indices and TWINSPAN end-group mean biotic index values relating to the RIVPACS IV models.

Update 23rd June 2010

During 2009 and 2010 the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) and the Freshwater Biological Association re-entered family- and species-level numerical abundance data from the original RIVPACS laboratory sample sheets. This enabled the calculation of reference values for a wider range of species-level biotic indices. Several of the tables in the RIVPACS database have been updated as a result.

 -     The table 'Taxa (Raw Data)' has also been upgraded by the additional of numerical abundance data for all family and species level records. This table has also been expanded to include new columns for original taxonomic names and original taxonomic codes for each record.

 -     The tables 'RIVPACS IV Indices (by site)' and 'RIVPACS IV Indices (means by TWINSPAN Groups)' have been reformatted and reference biotic index values for a wider range of biotic indices have been added.

 -     The table 'Taxa Standardised for RIVPACS IV' has been expanded to include data at a new (5th) level of taxonomic resolution - 'TL5 - WFD species'.

Two tables have also been removed to reduce unnecessary replication of taxonomic level data:

 -     'Taxa BMWP families SprAut combined (as used in RIVPACS III+)'

 -     'Taxa BMWP families SprSumAut combined (as used in RIVPACS III+)'

With the addition of numerical abundance data for families and species, tables such as these can be derived easily from the 'Taxa (Raw Data)' table.

All SNIFFER research outputs are available to everyone; to be used to help protect the environment and improve quality of life. Further information on this project and electronic copies of the accompanying research reports can be obtained via the SNIFFER website, search code WFD46.

History of the RIVPACS project

Since 1977 the River Communities section of CEH (formerly the Institute of Freshwater Ecology) has worked on a series of contracts involving the collection and interpretation of freshwater macro-invertebrate communities in streams and rivers.

Although the specific objectives of individual contracts varied in detail, a common theme of the data collection was to develop a new procedure for assessing the ecological status of running waters. We achieved this through the production of a software system called RIVPACS (River InVertebrate Prediction And Classification System).

RIVPACS is based on data from 835 sites throughout the UK. It is now extensively used by the Environment Agency, Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Environment and Heritage Service for monitoring and assessment purposes. RIVPACS also provided the basis for many of the principles of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). In particular, it introduced the concept of the reference condition for assessing the Ecological Status of water bodies.

The data we have collected are now of particular importance for the implementation of the WFD and for the definition of reference conditions. CEH, under a contract from SNIFFER (Scotland and Northern Ireland Forum For Environmental Research) are therefore making the RIVPACS dataset freely available in the public domain to assist this process. The data will also be of general benefit to government departments and agencies and also to the wider academic community and is coherent with current freedom of information legislation.

Further details of RIVPACS can be found on the CEH web pages.

Contributors to the RIVPACS Dataset

The following organisations (and/or their predecessors) have contributed towards the collection of the data and have consented to make these available here: