Problems encountered in evaluating surface water quality arise from the requirements of relevant regulations that these evaluations should be made in the last favourable hydrologic conditions during design flow rate (required minimum flow). However, the major part of measurements of water quality parameters is not performed under such conditions and the result must be corrected for the conditions under required minimum flow. Two possible approaches to solving this problem are presented in this paper and explained using an example of the Juzna Morava river basin up to the Station Korvingrad, Serbia (Yugoslavia). This basin is unhomogeneous regarding its hydrologic characteristics and mass flow of pollutants. The results of analysis are presented in the cartography form using the GIS technology.

Methodologies developed by European Member States to assess the environmental quality of their coastal waters under the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD, 2000/60/EC) may have an associated source of uncertainty. Here we identify and quantify the level of uncertainty in the CARLIT (Cartography of littoral and upper-sublittoral communities) methodology to test its effectiveness and reliability. The outcomes show that the effect of temporal variability (among years) within each water body is low when CARLIT is performed every year along the entire rocky coast. The spatial variability within a water body is also low. According to these results, CARLIT could be performed every 3years across all the water body or, alternatively, every year considering at least 60% of each water body, without a significant reduction of the confidence in the classification of the Ecological Quality Status (EQS).

The cartography of shallow water macroalgal assemblages allows the assessment of water quality in coastal water bodies through the application of CARLIT. In this study, we have applied CARLIT to assess the ecological status of Algerian coastal water bodies for the first time. The surveyed zone is still in a good ecological status since 52% have a good to a high ecological Status. CARLIT index is well correlated with anthropogenic pressures and has proved suitable for the evaluation of the ecological status of coastal waters. Comparison between EQR values and EEI-c shows a similar pattern of change. CARLIT method allowed the collection of accurate information on the distribution and abundance of shallow-water communities. We also provide a cartographic baseline of the coastal assemblages useful for further evaluations on their geographic extension and for the implementation of a monitoring project on water quality in Algerian coast.