The Water Framework Directive and state of Europe's water - WISER

The Water Framework Directive and state of
Europe’s water
Peter Kristensen, European Environment Agency
Anne Lyche Solheim, Kari Austnes, NIVA

State of Europe’s waters http://
www.eea.europa.eu/themes/water
How is it? (Nutrients, pesticides, heavy metals, ecological
quality..............)
How much is there? (Runoff, availability, demands, Water
Stress.........)
• Time trends
• Getting better or worse?
Pressures on the environment
• Climate change
• Human
• Industrial
• Agricultural
“What is causing the problems?”
State of Action on policies
“Are they working towards target?”

Nitrate (mg N/l)
< 0.8
0.8-2
2-3.6
3.6-5.6
5.6-11.3
> 11.3
Nitrate concentration per river basin district
latest year (most RBDs 2008))
See WISE
http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/water/mapviewers/soe-ri-ni

Overall trend in river water quality
BOD & total ammonium
Nitrate & orthophosphate

2012 will be the European year of water in which the EU Commission
will publish its “Blue-print to safeguard European
waters” comprising reviews of the RBMPs, water scarcity and
drought and vulnerability and adaptation policies.
To accompany and inform the Blue-print and policy processes
the European Environment Agency (EEA) plans for a 2012
report “State of Europe’s water”.
RIVER BASIN MANAGEMENT
PLANS – REPORTED IN 2010

EEA 2012 State of Water assessment
• 100 pages synthesis/integrated report
• Four thematic assessments (30-60 pages)
• Overview of status and pressures affecting Europe’s
water
• Some more detailed sector and activities chapters
WFD Article 18: … a review of the status of surface water and
groundwater in the Community under-taken in coordination with the
European Environment Agency;

170 RBMPs
Other information
Analysis
Baseline (Status of waters and
pressures affecting them)
Further assessments – e.g. water
resource efficiency, water accounts,
ecosystem goods and services
DG Environment
Blueprint to Safeguard European
Waters
WFD implementation
Water scarcity &
drought
Climate change &
water
EEA State of European Water
Synthesis/integrated
Water assessment
Thematic (focused) assessments

Status of reporting
• 23 countries have reported data (not all
countries have accepted RBMPs)
• 141 River Basin Districts
• 82 000 river water bodies (900 000 km –
average length 11 km)
• 17 000 lake water bodies (2/3 in Sweden
and Finland)
• 950 transitional and 2800 coastal water
bodies
Preliminary results from analysis of 141 RBD reported by
23 EU Member States to the WISE-WFD database

16 coastal water bodies (14500 km2)
645 river water bodies (11800 km)
89 lake water bodies (2000 km2)
Source: Estonian Environmental Review 2009

Ecological status and potential
http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/water/interactive/soe-wfd/wfd-surface

http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/water/interactive/soe-wfd/wfd-surface

RESULTS ON STATUS,
PRESSURES AND IMPACTS

Ecological status/potential - I
Preliminary results from analysis of 141 RBD reported by
23 EU Member States to the WISE-WFD database

Ecological status/potential - II
Preliminary results from analysis of 141 RBD reported by
23 EU Member States to the WISE-WFD database

10 %
10-30 %
30-50 %
50-70 %
70-90%
> 90 %
Rivers and lakes
Percentage of water bodies
in less than good ecological
status/potential

Transitional and coastal waters
< 10 %
10-30 %
30-50 %
50-70 %
70-90%
> 90 %
Percentage of water bodies
in less than good ecological
status/potential

Significant pressures
% of river WBs (65 000) being affected by pressures
(number of Member States)
32 000 rWBs
Preliminary results from analysis of 141 RBD reported by
23 EU Member States to the WISE-WFD database

Significant pressures
Lakes
> 50 % without pressures
hydromorphology and
diffuse pollution
Transitional waters
Around 20 % without
pressures
High pollution and
hydromorphology
pressures
Coastal waters
50 % without pressures
Diffuse & point sources
and Others pressures
Hydromorphology
pollution
No pressure
0 20 % 40 % 60 % 80 %

Ecological status of lake WBs without and
with significant pressures

Impacts
% of river WBs being subject to specific impacts
(number of Member States)
Preliminary results from analysis of 141 RBD reported by
23 EU Member States to the WISE-WFD database

Impacts
Lakes
> 60 % without
impacts
Altered habitats and
pollution
Transitional waters
Around 35 % without
impacts
High pollution and altered
habitats
Coastal waters
50 % without pressures
40 % Nutrient enrichment
pollution
Hydromorphology
0 20 % 40 % 60 % 80 %

River Ecological status/potential
by population density of RBDs
< 15 15-50 50-100 100-200 >200
Population density in RBDs (inh./km2)

Percentage of river WBs having no or diffuse
pollution or hydromorphology pressures
No pressures
Diffuse pollution
pressures
Hydromorphology
pressures
Population density in RBDs
< 15 15-50 50-100 100-200 >200

River ecological status & pressures
Ecological status,
by count of WBs
Proportion of river WBs
with and without pressures

Significant pressures
Pollution pressures
(Diffuse and point source)
Hydromorphology pressure
and altered habítats

Hydromorphological alteration

TraC ecological status & potential
Transitional waters
by count of WBs
Coastal waters
by count of WBs

Finland Environmental objectives
(will be covered by DG Environment)
Source: Keto 2010 at www.vannportalen.no

Implementation of measures
Status 2010
Pressures causing
less than good GES/
GEP
Measures Status 2015
Are the proposed measures (PoM) tackling the right pressures?
What will be the status in 2015/21/27 if the PoMs are implemented?
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Conclusions
• The information reported via the RBMPs can
markedly improve the overview of status and
pressures affecting Europe’s water.
• More than half of surface water bodies in
Europe are in less than good ecological status or
potential.
• River and transitional water bodies are in worse
ecological status/potential than water bodies in
lakes and coastal waters.
• The most severe pressures are
hydromorphological pressures causing altered
habitats and diffuse pollutant pressures causing
nutrient enrichment.

WISER and the future of WFD
WFD implementation can benefit from the
knowledge and tools produced by WISER.
The scientific community can contribute to a
better understanding of the status and
pressures. I miss you in the evaluation of
results from the RBMPs
Future of WISER database: Shared
Environmental Information System principles:
- Keep data at the source, but make them
available for multiple uses
- EEA has a vision of and is working on an Eye
on Earth portal – producers make information
available and the portal ensures users access
to information.

EEA 2012 State of Water assessment
Mid-February EEA will start stakeholder consultation of
the draft reports on ecological status and pressures and
hydromorphology. The consultation will run until the end
of March.
We hope that the WISER community will read and make
comments and input to the draft reports.
Condensed versions of the reports will be published over
the year.

Questions? Comments?
Thank you for your attention!