The Response component of ASSETS is based on an assessment of the susceptibility of the system, the capacity of a system to dilute and/or flush nutrients, in combination with foreseeable changes in nutrient loads. Predictions of nutrient loading (increase, decrease, unchanged) are based on expected population increase, planned management actions and expected changes in watershed uses and as such are heuristically determined. A matrix is used for the final definition of future outlook and shows that, conceptually, systems with slower flushing, ie higher susceptibility are expected to improve at a slower rate than those of lower susceptibility if nutrient inputs are decreased in the future.