Index: wflow-py/UnitTests/TestBMI.py
===================================================================
diff -u -r13aa5cc92a83c42ac7fa671193e92e1c6fd973c9 -r7dd0987f829f965d41d60ab8ead878bb747dfe15
--- wflow-py/UnitTests/TestBMI.py	(.../TestBMI.py)	(revision 13aa5cc92a83c42ac7fa671193e92e1c6fd973c9)
+++ wflow-py/UnitTests/TestBMI.py	(.../TestBMI.py)	(revision 7dd0987f829f965d41d60ab8ead878bb747dfe15)
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@
 
 
     def testbmirunnetcdf(self):
-        bmiobj = bmi.wflowbmi_csdms(bmiloglevel=logging.DEBUG)
+        bmiobj = bmi.wflowbmi_csdms()
         bmiobj.initialize_config('wflow_sbm/wflow_sbm_nc.ini',loglevel=logging.DEBUG)
         bmiobj.set_attribute_value('run:timestepsecs','3600')
         bmiobj.set_attribute_value('run:starttime','2010-06-18 00:00:00')
Index: wflow-py/UnitTests/TestBMI_Init.py
===================================================================
diff -u -r13aa5cc92a83c42ac7fa671193e92e1c6fd973c9 -r7dd0987f829f965d41d60ab8ead878bb747dfe15
--- wflow-py/UnitTests/TestBMI_Init.py	(.../TestBMI_Init.py)	(revision 13aa5cc92a83c42ac7fa671193e92e1c6fd973c9)
+++ wflow-py/UnitTests/TestBMI_Init.py	(.../TestBMI_Init.py)	(revision 7dd0987f829f965d41d60ab8ead878bb747dfe15)
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
 class MyTest(unittest.TestCase):
 
     def testbmiinitfuncs(self):
-        bmiobj = bmi.wflowbmi_csdms(bmiloglevel=logging.DEBUG)
+        bmiobj = bmi.wflowbmi_csdms()
 
         bmiobj.initialize_config('wflow_sceleton/wflow_sceleton.ini',loglevel=logging.ERROR)
         print("-------------- Time units: ")
Index: wflow-py/wflow/wflow_bmi.py
===================================================================
diff -u -r13aa5cc92a83c42ac7fa671193e92e1c6fd973c9 -r7dd0987f829f965d41d60ab8ead878bb747dfe15
--- wflow-py/wflow/wflow_bmi.py	(.../wflow_bmi.py)	(revision 13aa5cc92a83c42ac7fa671193e92e1c6fd973c9)
+++ wflow-py/wflow/wflow_bmi.py	(.../wflow_bmi.py)	(revision 7dd0987f829f965d41d60ab8ead878bb747dfe15)
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@
         implement translation of long_var_names
     """
 
-    def __init__(self, bmiloglevel=logging.ERROR):
+    def __init__(self):
         """
         Initialises the object
 
@@ -253,9 +253,25 @@
         self.name = "undefined"
         self.myModel = None
         self.dynModel = None
-        self.logginmode = logging.DEBUG
-        self.bmilogger = setlogger('wflow_bmi.log','wflow_bmi_logging',thelevel=bmiloglevel)
 
+        self.loggingmode = logging.ERROR
+        logstr = os.getenv('wflow_bmi_loglevel', 'ERROR')
+
+        if logstr in 'ERROR':
+            self.loggingmode = logging.ERROR
+            print logstr
+        if logstr in 'WARNING':
+            self.loggingmode = logging.WARNING
+            print logstr
+        if logstr in 'INFO':
+            self.loggingmode = logging.INFO
+            print logstr
+        if logstr in 'DEBUG':
+            self.loggingmode = logging.DEBUG
+            print logstr
+
+        self.bmilogger = setlogger('wflow_bmi.log','wflow_bmi_logging',thelevel=self.loggingmode)
+
     def initialize_config(self, filename, loglevel=logging.DEBUG):
         """
         *Extended functionality*, see https://github.com/eWaterCycle/bmi/blob/master/src/main/python/bmi.py