EEA State of Water reporting Peter Kristensen, European Environment Agency

1. EEA State of Water reporting Peter Kristensen, European Environment Agency

2. State of Europe’s waters http://www.eea.europa.eu/ State of Europe’s waters 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?” Reports since last meeting Climate change impacts European water resources Bathing water Urban environment Water scarcity and adaptation in the Alps

3. Impacts of Europe's changing climate - 2008 indicator-based assessment Water Issues Water quantity • River Discharge (Stream-Flow)‏ • Floods • Droughts & water scarcity – Low flow • Hydropower and power plants • Cooling water Water quality and biodiversity • Lake and river temperature • Lake and river ice coverage • Freshwater quality • Phenology • Northward movement • Bluegreen algae

4. Climate change: Change in seasonal flow Change in daily average river flow between 2071-2100 (blue line) and 1961-1990 (black line). Rhône Danube Indalselven Guadiana Source: EEA/JRC/WHO 2008

5. Water resources across Europe — confronting water scarcity and drought • Introduction • Water availability, abstraction and supply • Impacts of water abstraction and supply • Water abstraction for industry and energy production • Public water supply • Agricultural water use • Conclussions on future water resource management in Europe

6. Water scarcity and drought (WS&D) in Europe Reservoir, Sicily Reservoir, Cyprus River Elbe, Dresden Spring. 2007 Source: Tallaksen L. 2007: http://www.geo.uio.no/for_skolen/lena-torke.pdf

7. Water scarcity and drought in 2008 During the summer 2008 Cyprus has received water by more than 30 tankers from Greece Capacity of storage reservoirs Barcelona og Cypern spring 2008 Desalination plants

8. Summary of the state of bathing water in 2008 season 27 national reports on state of bathing water WISE map viewer Data viewer Eye on Earth (near real-time data from volunteer countries) Quality of bathing water — 2008 bathing season

9. Water aspects Water supply Flooding Ensuring quality of life in Europe's cities and towns

10. Climate change in the Alps The Alps as water towers for Europe. Water resources, climate change and adaptation options in sectors Adaptation in vulnerable alpine regions — lessons learnt from regional case studies Regional climate change and adaptation — The Alps facing the challenge of changing water resources

11. SOER = State and Outlook of the Environment Report Publication Date: 29 November 2010 Aim: Fulfil obligation under EEA Regulation, Art 2.vi topublish a report on the state of, trends in and prospects for the environment every five years. Primary audience / key clients: EC, European Parliament, EEA member countries [1] What is SOER 2010

12. [2] Structure of SOER 2010 • A • Exploratory assessment • Global drivers • Megatrends • Uncertainties • Long-term policy implications • B • EEA+6 widesystem analysis • Atmosphere • Freshwater • Marine • Terrestrial • Human • C • Countryspecific analyses • Diversity • Commonality • Flexibilty Synthesis Integrated Analysis (Reflecting – Reviewing – Rethinking)

13. Water quality (Eutrophication and hazardous substances) Water quantity (Too little water, too much water and modified rivers) Draft chapters nearly ready for first consultation (End October – End November). 2nd consultation in February The draft chapters provide a good indication of the information to be included in the final version, but the text generally have to be improved. In several places countries are asked for supplement additional information or comment on the already included information. [3] SOER2010 part B: Freshwater chapters

14. Impacts on Freshwater Ecosystems Eutrophication, Endocrine disruption, metals, pesticides etc Impacts on Human Health Bathing Water Quality, Toxic blooms, inadequate drinking water treatment Costs of water and wastewater treatment Financial, and in terms of energy and chemical consumption Focus on agriculture and urban environment as key sources Encompasses a range of pollutants Nutrients, pesticides, metals, endocrine disruptors, pharmaceutical products, industrial chemicals [4] SOER2010 part B: Water pollution

15. Overview of ‘Response’ that focuses on range of water related policy and legislation, i.e. WFD, NiD, UWWTD, EQSD, CAP, Pesticides Directive. Identifies need to implement full cost recovery of water services and to tackle pollution ‘at source’ A challenge exists to assess current status and ‘distance to target’ under WFD, across Europe. RBMP’s are of key importance, as is a close link to Part C (freshwater) assessments. [5] SOER2010 part B: Water pollution

16. Too little water, too much water and modified rivers – Key messages In many locations water use by agriculture, public water supply and tourism poses a threat to Europe's water resources and demand often exceeds availability. Europe cannot increase the water supply endless, we must reduce the demand. Climate change will almost certainly exacerbate the adverse impacts of water scarcity and drought. [6] SOER2010 part B: Water quantity

17. Too little water, too much water and modified rivers – Key messages Over the last ten years Europe suffered over 165 major floods - Flood risk management measures that work with nature, not against it, should be promoted. Climate change is likely to cause an increase in flood hazard across much of Europe. Many European river and lakes have been altered by human activities (drainage, navigation, hydropower, dams and flood defence) Policies and demand for irrigated agriculture incl. bioenergy, tourism activities, hydropower and inland water navigation may conflict with the Water Framework objective of achieving good ecological and quantitative status. [7] SOER2010 part B: Water quantity

18. 2005: SOER Part C country analysis– Two pages country profiles (1/4 page on freshwater) Belgium: Use of Freshwater Resource: Total use of water (excluding cooling-water) in Flanders decreased by 14 % (1991–2002). Industry use decreased by almost 40 % in the period 1996–2000. Water availability in Flanders is low and two-thirds is imported. Among the lowest in Europe the Walloon region uses 105 litres per person per day for domestic needs. This is due to increasing water prices, the use of more efficient equipment and increasing use of rainwater. In 2004, the Brussels region used 113 litres per person per day for domestic needs. 61 % of water in the Brussels-Capital region is used by households, 25 % by the tertiary sector and 11 % by fire control and other public services, including network losses. Greece: Use of freshwater resources The problems of water management mainly concern issues of quantity and not of quality. The uneven distribution of water resources and rainfall creates water availability problems. Agriculture is the most significant water consumer and demand for irrigation has doubled in the last twenty years. Irrigation is of paramount importance for agriculture productivity in Greece where water deficiencies in arid and semi-arid areas can severely curtail crop yields. Irrigation accounts for over 80 % of total water abstractions. Between 1992 and 2002, water abstraction for agricultural use was reduced by about 2.5 %. It is estimated that over the next years, further reductions will be achieved. These will arise from the implementation of new CAP and EU regulations, modernisation and renovation of irrigation networks, application of new technologies for irrigation, and the training of farmers in good agricultural practices. Significant progress has been made in wastewater management and approximately 70 % of the national population was serviced by wastewater treatment plants in 2004. For the 2004 bathing season, 99.9 % of Greek coasts complied with national requirements, while 97.6 % of coasts met EU requirements. Member countries asked for better country information in the next SOER [8] SOER 2010 Part C – Freshwater

19. a – Why should we care about this theme? b – What are the state (S) and impacts (I) related to this theme, including impacts on the natural environment and human health/well-being, both at national level as well as in transboundary terms? c – What are the related key drivers (D) and pressures (P) at national level? d – What is the 2020 outlook (date flexible) for the topic in question and how will this affect possible impacts on the natural environment and human health/well-being? e – Which responses (R) have been put in place or are planned at national level for the theme in question? [9] SOER 2010 Part C – Freshwater – guiding structure

20. Deadline 30 June 2009 Full submissions (20) – Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland Announced delay (14) – Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Denmark, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Poland, Slovenia, Turkey, United Kingdom [10] SOER 2010 Part C – Freshwater - country contributions (as of 16 October 2009)

21. [11] SOER 2010 Part C – Freshwater - country contributions (as of 16 October 2009)

22. The countries have generally delivered much valuable information in the first draft freshwater sections, ranging from comprehensive descriptions of most aspects related to state of freshwaters (e.g. Estonia and Greece) to brief descriptions of one to two country-relevant aspects (e.g. the Netherlands and Sweden). In most cases, the countries have used EEA freshwater indicators or similar national examples. Towards more comparability the importance of following the structure of the guiding questions for freshwater, Include information and results on national WFD implementation A higher degree of comparability can also be secured through the consistent and more explicit use of EEA freshwater core set of indicators [12] SOER 2010 Part C – Freshwater - country contributions

23. b – What are the state (S) and impacts (I) Water quantity: Water exploitation index (CSI18) and other information on water scarcity and drought and overexploitation of water resources Water quality: Ecological/chemical classification of freshwater bodies – generally based on results from WFD classification or existing national classification schemes State and trends in nutrient concentration (CSI20) and pollution by oxygen-consuming substances (CSI19) c – What are the related key drivers (D) and pressures (P) Water quantity: Water abstraction and water use (CSI18) Water quality: Emission of pollutants Discharge from wastewater treatment and level of wastewater treatment (CSI24) [13] SOER 2010 Part C – Freshwater – Recommendations (1)

24. e – Which responses (R) Summary describing of implementation of the Water Framework Directive in the given country Water quantity: Information on national activities on water scarcity and droughts is relevant. Measures related to water saving and conservation; information on water pricing Water quality: Implementation of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive Implementation of the Nitrates Directive Remaining drafts and second drafts as soon as possible – cross reference/use of information for part B - [14] SOER 2010 Part C – Freshwater – Recommendations (2)

25. Thanks for your attention