WFD Transitional and Coastal Water Bodies Cycle 4 Classification 2025 (Simplified)
type: Dataset
description: This is a polygon dataset showing Water Framework Directive (WFD) Transitional (Estuary) and Coastal Water Bodies. This dataset provides attribution relating to the 2025 classification results, as well as other relevant information and data about each transitional and coastal water body. It comprises both the transitional and the coastal water bodies used for the WFD. Article 2, clause 6 of the WFD defines transitional water bodies as ‘…bodies of surface water in the vicinity of river mouths which are partly saline in character as a result of their proximity to coastal waters but are substantially influenced by freshwater flows’. They are also referred to as estuaries. Transitional water bodies were defined from Mean High Water boundaries, taken directly from OS OpenMap - Local data, and Environment Agency estuarine boundaries defined for the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD). Article 2, clause 7 of the WFD defines coastal water bodies as ‘…a surface water on the landward side of a line, every point of which is at a distance of one nautical mile on the seaward side from the nearest point of the baseline from which the breadth of territorial waters is measured, extending where appropriate up to the outer limit of transitional waters’. Coastal waters were defined by territorial waters 1 nautical mile from the Mean High Water coastline taken directly from OS OpenMap - Local data. The boundary between coastal and estuarine waters was delineated using the Environment Agency defined transitional water bodies. Water bodies are also split and assigned to River Basin Districts. The geometry of this dataset has been simplified to allow for faster web mapping services. The full resolution of this dataset is called WFD Transitional and Coastal Water Bodies Cycle 4 Classification 2025 (Full Resolution). There is a layer file associated with this dataset. The layer file is called Simplified_WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025_Ecologic…
issued: 2026-08-07T08:59:33.138654
modified: 2026-08-14T14:04:37.110637
spatial: Location
  geometry: {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[1.76370560966352, 49.8647926358421], [-6.41866722959945, 49.8647926358421], [-6.41866722959945, 55.8111151497005], [1.76370560966352, 55.8111151497005], [1.76370560966352, 49.8647926358421]]]}
keyword: Cycle 4
keyword: Hydrography
keyword: WFD
keyword: coastal water bodies
keyword: environment
keyword: surface water management
keyword: transitional water bodies

Simplified_WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025_WFS
type: Distribution
description: Simplified wfd transitional and coastal water bodies cycle 4 classification 2025 - WFS
issued: 2026-08-14T14:04:37.174009
modified: 2026-08-14T14:04:37.117576
access URL: https://environment.data.gov.uk/spatialdata/simplified-wfd-transitional-and-coastal-water-bodies-cycle-4-classification-2025/wfs

OGC API - Features service
type: Distribution
description: OGC API - Features service
issued: 2026-08-14T14:04:37.174009
modified: 2026-08-14T14:04:37.117615
access URL: https://environment.data.gov.uk/spatialdata/simplified-wfd-transitional-and-coastal-water-bodies-cycle-4-classification-2025/ogc/features/v1

Notes on Attribution for Surface Water Datasets July 2026.docx
type: Distribution
description: Notes on Attribution for Surface Water Datasets July 2026.docx download on Defra Data Services Platform
format: DOCX
issued: 2026-08-14T14:04:37.174000
modified: 2026-08-14T14:04:37.117162
access URL: https://environment.data.gov.uk/api/file/download
media type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document

Simplified_WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025_Download
type: Distribution
description: Download data by area of interest
issued: 2026-08-14T14:04:37.174007
modified: 2026-08-14T14:04:37.117498
access URL: https://environment.data.gov.uk/explore/0a7e13e4-5a57-48b3-8b02-f860ba962a97

WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025_Simplified.shp.zip
type: Distribution
description: WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025_Simplified.shp.zip download on Defra Data Services Platform
format: ZIP
issued: 2026-08-14T14:04:37.174006
modified: 2026-08-14T14:04:37.117459
access URL: https://environment.data.gov.uk/api/file/download
media type: application/zip

WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025_Simplified.gdb.zip
type: Distribution
description: WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025_Simplified.gdb.zip download on Defra Data Services Platform
format: ZIP
issued: 2026-08-14T14:04:37.174004
modified: 2026-08-14T14:04:37.117333
access URL: https://environment.data.gov.uk/api/file/download
media type: application/zip

WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025_Simplified.geojson.zip
type: Distribution
description: WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025_Simplified.geojson.zip download on Defra Data Services Platform
format: ZIP
issued: 2026-08-14T14:04:37.174005
modified: 2026-08-14T14:04:37.117375
access URL: https://environment.data.gov.uk/api/file/download
media type: application/zip

WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025_Simplified.gpkg.zip
type: Distribution
description: WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025_Simplified.gpkg.zip download on Defra Data Services Platform
format: ZIP
issued: 2026-08-14T14:04:37.174006
modified: 2026-08-14T14:04:37.117417
access URL: https://environment.data.gov.uk/api/file/download
media type: application/zip

Simplified_WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025_Ecological_Class.lyrx
type: Distribution
description: Simplified_WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025_Ecological_Class.lyrx download on Defra Data Services Platform
issued: 2026-08-14T14:04:37.174003
modified: 2026-08-14T14:04:37.117288
access URL: https://environment.data.gov.uk/api/file/download

Simplified_WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025_WMS
type: Distribution
description: Simplified wfd transitional and coastal water bodies cycle 4 classification 2025 - WMS
issued: 2026-08-14T14:04:37.174008
modified: 2026-08-14T14:04:37.117537
access URL: https://environment.data.gov.uk/spatialdata/simplified-wfd-transitional-and-coastal-water-bodies-cycle-4-classification-2025/wms

Simplified_WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025.csv
type: Distribution
description: Simplified_WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025.csv download on Defra Data Services Platform
format: CSV
issued: 2026-08-14T14:04:37.174002
modified: 2026-08-14T14:04:37.117240
access URL: https://environment.data.gov.uk/api/file/download
media type: text/csv

Environment Agency
type: Organization