Natural Resources Wales 6597e020-56bd-4c41-ad70-c93142108df2 6597e020-56bd-4c41-ad70-c93142108df2 Water Framework Directive (WFD) Operational Catchments Cycle 3 2022 2023-04-19 2023-04-19 WFD Operational Catchments’ is a polygon Shapefile dataset collated as defined for the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD).  Operational catchments are the unit of geography that group river water bodies into smaller sub-catchments.  These units support the management and understanding of the river network at a local scale. WFD Operational Catchments have been delineated by using WFD River Waterbody Catchments [these were delineated through use of flow data and a digital terrain model run through a hydrological model] as “building blocks” that have been aggregated together within a GIS, ensuring that WFD rivers do not intersect boundaries.  This process was conducted by using expert judgement in consultation. Attribution statement: Contains Natural Resources Wales information © Natural Resources Wales and Database Right. All rights Reserved. 51.34302363515408 -5.439311841172762 53.45312456035192 -2.609705869832641