EEAs assessments of the status of Europe’s waters

Peter KristensenProject manager Integrated Water Assessment, European Environment Agency (EEA)

Session 1

Eionet NRC Freshwater meeting, 18-19 June 2015

Questions to NRCs:

• How are you using the EEA water reports, WISE interactive map and data viewers? – Are they useful for your purposes? – How can they be improved?

• Are the assessments of status and pressures on European waters useful in the present form? – How can we improve the assessments? – How can the presentations of country comparisons be

improved?

• Are the water indicators addressing the right issues? Are issues missing? – Should we include additional indicators? – Are we using the best data?

Status of Europe’s waters

• Overall freshwater quality (overall status, ecological status, conservation status of freshwater habitats and species);

• Water pollution and quality (e.g. nutrients in groundwater, rivers and lakes; pollution sources and emissions);

• Water and health (Bathing water quality, drinking water quality, hazardous substances related to health)

• Water resources focus on water scarcity and drought (Water Exploitation Index, water abstraction by sectors, water resource accounts, water efficiency)

• Floods and water related disasters • Climate change impacts on water and water adaptation

measures• Hydromorphological /structural activities (e.g.

hydropower, navigation, number of barriers in rivers, straightened rivers).

The MDIAK Information Chain

Interpret

Integrate

Reflect

(M)Monitoring

Structure(D)Data

(I)Indicators

(A)Assessments(K)

Slides from Thomas Henrichs, EEA – prepared for Integrated Environmental Assessments - EEA West Balkan Summer School 2013

The WISE SoE data flows have successfully ‑provided a solid basis of information for several of EEA indicators and water assessments.

EEA new water products

Bathing water report including: • 30 national reports, • map and data viewers.

Freshwater in the SOER2015• Synthesis• Two European briefings• Freshwater country

comparisonUpdated water CSIs and maps

• Nutrients in freshwater• Oxygen consuming

substances• WISE maps

European Bathing Water Quality in 2014

Annual reporting of Bathing Water quality(EN, DE and FR)• 30 National reports• Data viewer• Map viewers

Link: http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/water/status-and-monitoring/state-of-bathing-water/state/state-of-bathing-water-1

Heavy web-traffic

3 mio.

2 mio.

1 mio.

Pageviews

WISE Bathing Water map viewer

http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/water/interactive/bathing/state-of-bathing-waters

Several hundreds news articles

Source: http://www.salzburg24.at/badegewaesser-in-europa-werden-sauberer/apa-s24_1423552284

THE EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENTSTATE AND OUTLOOK 2015

Synthesisreport

Terrestrial and freshwaterbiodiversity

Land use and soil functions

Ecological status of freshwater bodies

Water quality and nutrient loading

Air pollution and its ecosystem impacts

Marine and coastal biodiversity

Climate change impacts on ecosystems

Material resource efficiency and material use

Waste management

Greenhouse gas emissions and climate change mitigation

Energy consumption and fossil fuel use

Transport demand and related environmental impacts

Industrial pollution to air, soil and water

Water use and water quantity stress

Water pollution and related environmental health risks

Air pollution and related environmental health risks

Noise pollution (especially in urban areas)

Urban systems and grey infrastructure

Climate change and related environmental health risks

Chemicals and related environmental health risks

Protecting, conserving and enhancing natural capital

Resource efficiency and the low-carbon economy

Safeguarding from environmental risks to health

01BACK TO TABLE OF CONTENTS

Integrated assessment of environmental trends

Part 1 Setting the scene: The context for European environmental policy, and the global megatrends that directly and indirectly affect Europe’s environment.

Part 2 Assessing European trends: The trends and outlook for 20 environmental issues grouped under the 3 priority objectives of the 7th Environment Action Programme.

Part 3 Looking ahead: The overall picture of the European environment’s state and outlook, and opportunities to support the transition to a more sustainable society.

COUNTRY COMPARISONS

GLOBALMEGATRENDS

EUROPEANBRIEFINGS

COUNTRIES & REGIONS

SYNTHESISREPORT

Related content

SOER2015 / Synthesis /

Protecting, conserving and enhancing natural capital

Assessing European trends: Protecting, conserving and enhancing natural capital

Source: EEA. SOER 2015 Synthesis report.

  5–10 year trends

Progress to policy targets

Terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity

Land use and soil functions   No target 

Ecological status of freshwater bodies  

Water quality and nutrient loading   

Air pollution and its ecosystem impacts  

Marine and coastal biodiversity  

Climate change impacts on ecosystems   No target

Overallsummary table

Summary table 2/3

Summary table 3/3

Improving trends dominate

Trends show mixed picture

Deteriorating trends dominate

Largely on track

Partially on track

Largely not on track

20+ years outlook

Europeanbriefings 03

Air pollution

Biodiversity

Climate change impacts and adaptation

Forests

Freshwater quality

Land systems

Marine environment

Mitigating climate change

Noise

Soil

Waste

Agriculture

Consumption

Energy

Health and environment

Industry

Maritime activities

Resource efficiency

Tourism

Transport

The air and climate system

Green economy

Hydrological systems and sustainable water management

Natural capital and ecosystem services

Urban systems

BACK TO TABLE OF CONTENTS

Environmental themes Socio-economic dimensions Systemic perspectives

SOER2015 / European briefings /

Freshwater quality

• Much cleaner than 25 years ago, many water bodies are still affected by pollutants and/or altered habitats.

• In 2009, only 43 % showed a good/high ecological status; the 10 points expected increase for 2015 (53 %) constitutes only a modest improvement in aquatic ecosystem health.

• Water management should improve with the second round of river basin management plans in 2015-16 resulting in the realisation of more policy objectives through stringent, well-integrated implementation and public participation.

Ecol. status of freshwater bodies

Water quality and nutrient loading

Climate change impacts on ecosystems

Industrial pollution to air, soil and water

Water use and water stress

Water pollution & related envi. health risks

Urban systems and grey infrastructure

Chemicals & related envi. health risks

Freshwater quality

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GO TO ONLINE BRIEFING

Freshwater quality

SOER2015 / European briefings /

Hydrological systems and sustainable water management

• Intensive agriculture, urbanisation, energy production and flood protection have altered European hydrological systems and freshwater habitats for decades.

• Climate change adds to these challenges (higher water temperature, more floods or water scarcity).

• Less than half of all water bodies have a ‘good status’.

• Full and coordinated implementation of water and nature legislation would restore aquatic habitats and foster water efficiency.

Ecol. status of freshwater bodies

Water quality and nutrient loading

Water use and water stress

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Hydrological systems

Cross-countrycomparisons 04

Agriculture – organic farming

Air pollution – emissions of selected pollutants

Biodiversity – protected areas

Energy – energy consumption and share of renewable energy

Freshwater quality – nutrients in rivers

Mitigating climate change – greenhouse gas emissions

Resource efficiency – material resource efficiency and productivity

Transport – passenger transport demand and modal split

Waste – municipal solid waste generation and management

BACK TO TABLE OF CONTENTS

SOER 2015: Cross-country comparisons

Average concentration of nitrate-nitrogen in rivers in 38 European countries (1992, 2000 and 2012)

http://www.eea.europa.eu/soer-2015/countries-comparison/freshwater

Water indicators

CSI 020: Nutrients in freshwater (Nitrate in groundwater; nitrate and phosphate in rivers; total phosphorus in lakes)

CSI 019: Oxygen consuming substances (BOD and ammonium in rivers)

• Updated with 2012 data; • trend 1992-2012 and 2000-2012;• New layout and use of Daviz (Data Visualization)

diagrams; • Trend by country; and• Statistical test of trend.

EEA core set indicator:Nutrients in freshwater

Source: EEA Nutrients in freshwater (CSI 020/WAT 003) http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/indicators/nutrients-in-freshwater/nutrients-in-freshwater-assessment-published-6

Updated WISE interactive maps

WISE SoE dataflowsGroundwater (Ammonium; Nitrates; Nitrites)Rivers, water quality (Ammonium; BOD; Nitrates; Orthophosphates)Rivers, biology (Macroinvertebrates; Phytobenthos)Lakes, water quality (Total phosphorus) Lakes, biology (Macrophytes; Phytoplankton)Monitoring station (Water quality (density, stations); Water quantity stations)EU water directives (Bathing water, Floods Directive; Water Framework Directive; Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive; Nitrate Directive

http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/water/interactive/by-category

WISE maps: Nitrate in rivers• Rivers draining land with intense

agriculture or high population density generally have the highest nitrate concentrations.

• Rivers with nitrate concentrations exceeding 5.6 mg N/l are found predominantly in northwest France, and southeast UK.

• However, a high proportion (more than 20%) of rivers with concentrations exceeding 3.6 mg N/l are found in many other countries, particularly in Belgium, France, Germany, Poland, Spain, Turkey and the UK.

• Rivers in more sparsely populated or mountainous regions often have concentrations less than 0.8 mg N/l, e.g. Northern Europe, Scotland and Ireland, the Pyrenees the Alps, the Apenninnes and the Massif Central, Corsica and large parts of the Balkans and Romania.

Latest year (2009-2011): No data since 2008 from Hungary, Czech Republic and Greece and part of Spain and Italy

River Basin Districts with less than 10 stations (Median concentration) (Other RBDs mean of stations with 95% lowest concentrations)

Link: http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/explore-interactive-maps/nitrate-in-rivers

Update of CSI 018 Use of freshwater resources

Draft seasonal Water Exploitation Index

Spring 2015 first NRC consultationAugust update and 2nd consultationOctober updated CSI 018

Emissions and hazardous substances

Published as ETC report December 2014 Link

Freshwater ecosystem assessment

Habitat Directive – Conservation status of freshwater (rivers and lakes) habitats and species

FavourableUnknownUnfavourable inadequateUnfavourable

Published as ETC report Summer 2015 Link

http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/state-of-nature-in-the-eu

Questions to NRCs:

• How are you using the EEA water reports, WISE interactive map and data viewers? – Are they useful for your purposes? – How can they be improved?

• Are the assessments of status and pressures on European waters useful in the present form? – How can we improve the assessments? – How can the presentations of country comparisons be

improved?

• Are the water indicators addressing the right issues? Are issues missing? – Should we include additional indicators? – Are we using the best data?

Thank you

eea.europa.eu