Like environmental policy in general, water policy in particular is subject to constant change. In his article published in the journal Wasser und Abfall (Water and Waste), Peter Kessler describes the shift from an instrumental to an objective-oriented approach. While the water crisis in the Hessisches Ried was still mastered with the instrumental approach, the quality objectives of the German Länder Working Group on Water Issues (LAWA) and the water quality objectives of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) represent the quality objective orientation.

Like environmental policy in general, water policy in particular is subject to constant change. Several overlapping trends in this process can be identified: from technical to ecological approaches, from reconversion of water courses to re-establishing water dynamics, or from sectoral to integrated approaches. An especially noteworthy change is that from instrumental to quality-objective orientation.

In his article published in the journal Wasser und Abfall (Water and Waste), Peter Kessler describes this shift to an objective-oriented approach as well as the major instruments of water policy used to handle the water crisis in the Hessisches Ried. An example of quality goal-orientation are the objectives for industrial substances put up by the German Länder Working Group on Water Issues (LAWA). The Water Framework Directive (WFD) introduces water quality objectives in a comprehensive sense.