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Europe's water:

An indicator-based assessment

Topic report 1/2003

EEA project managers:

Peter Kristensen

Anita Künitzer

Jock Martin

Niels Thyssen

©EEA, Copenhagen, 2003

Selected data and recent trends

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Trends in concentrations of various pollutants in Baltic and Mediterranean Seas and in the north-east Altantic

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Trends in concentrations of various pollutants in mussels of north-eastern Altantic in different time periods

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Trends in concentrations of various pollutants in mussels of Mediterranean Sea in different time periods

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Source: Environment

Agency of England and

Wales (2002).

Effects of endocrine disrupting pollution on wild fish in England

Note: appearance intersex is one of important alterations caused by endocrine-disrupting chemicals, such as tributyltin used for boat painting as a fungicide

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Questions:What is ecological condition of surface water?

Is the deterioration of aquatic systems prevented?

Indicators Assessment

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Questions:What is ecological condition of surface water?

Is the deterioration of aquatic systems prevented?

Indicators Assessment

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Percentage of ‘less than good’ rivers in different European countries

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Introduced freshwater species with an ecological effect

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Non-indigenious marine species arrived in European seas

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Phosphate concentration in various groups of EU countries

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Concentration of oxygen demand in rivers of various groups of EU countries

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Nitrate concentration in rivers of various groups of EU countries

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Discharge of organic matter from point sources

Positive key messages:

• In most of western Europe over past 15-30 years biological treatment of waste waters increased and decrerased organic discharges

• During 1990s also ten new EU member countries reduced markedly discharge of organic matters (in 5 of them by more than 75% in the period 1992-2000)

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Concentration of Cd and Hg at river stations

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The use of pesticides in ‘old’ 15 and new 10 (AC) EU countries

Positive trend: In new EU countries a steady decline of pesticide consumption

Negative trend: In old 15 EU countries repeated rise of pesticide consumption since 1993