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Chemical status (WFD 002) - Assessment DRAFT created Apr 2013: This indicator summarises the results from the Water Framework (WFD) River Basin Management Plans (RBMP) on chemical status of groundwater and surface waters. The results should be interpreted cautiously, since chemical monitoring as reported in the first RBMPs was incomplete, and information is not always comparable between Member States. The results from the first showed: Poor chemical status for groundwater, by area, is about 25 % across Europe. A total of 16 Member States have more than 10 % of groundwater bodies in poor chemical status; this figure exceeds 50 % in four Member States. Excessive levels of nitrate are the most frequent cause of poor groundwater status across much of Europe. Poor chemical status for rivers, lakes, and transitional and coastal waters does not exceed 10 %, aggregated across Europe as a whole. Notably, the chemical status of many of Europe’s surface waters remains unknown, ranging between one third of lakes and more than half of transitional waters. A total of 10 Member States report poor chemical status in more than 20 % of rivers and lakes with known chemical status, whilst this figure rises to above 40 % in five Member States. A total of 10 Member States report poor chemical status in more than 20 % of rivers and lakes with known chemical status, whilst this figure rises to above 40 % in five Member States. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a widespread cause of poor status in rivers. Heavy metals are also a significant contributor to poor status in rivers and lakes, with levels of mercury in Swedish freshwater biota causing 100 % failure to reach good chemical status. Industrial chemicals such as the plasticiser di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and pesticides also constitute widespread causes of poor chemical status in rivers. Six Member States report poor chemical status in transitional waters to be more than 50 % of the water bodies with known chemical status. PAHs, the antifouling biocide tributyltin (TBT) and heavy metals are the most common culprits. Six Member States report all their coastal waters as having good chemical status, although in five others, poor chemical status exceeds 90 % of those water bodies with a known chemical status. A variety of pollutant groups contribute to poor status in coastal waters, reflecting a diverse range of sources.
Located in Data and maps › Indicators › Chemical status
Innovating for Sustainable Growth: a Bioeconomy for Europe, EC, 2012: COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
Located in Environmental policy document catalogue
Waterbase - Water Quantity: Waterbase is the generic name given to the EEA's databases on the status and quality of Europe's rivers, lakes, groundwater bodies and transitional, coastal and marine waters, and on the quantity of Europe's water resources
Located in Data and maps › Datasets
Water statistics (Eurostat): Joint Questionnaire OECD/Eurostat. The questionnaire is based on clearly defined tables including definitions and formats requested. It includes the whole water cycle from abstraction to use and then discharge, and additional tables on quality of some rivers and lakes only used by OECD. Quantities of water abstracted, and used, capacity of waste water treatment plants, sludges produced, and emissions of chemicals, of which heavy metals from the sources industry, agriculture and human settlements. It consists of data and textual information (footnotes).
Located in Data and maps › Datasets
Freshwater - Drivers and pressures (Croatia): SOER Common environmental theme from Croatia
Located in The European environment – state and outlook 2010 › Country assessments › Croatia
Freshwater - National Responses (Croatia): SOER Common environmental theme from Croatia
Located in The European environment – state and outlook 2010 › Country assessments › Croatia
Commission Decision of 30 October 2008: establishing, pursuant to Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, the values of the Member State monitoring system classifications as a result of the intercalibration exercise (2008/915/EC)
Located in Environmental policy document catalogue
Waterbase - Emissions to water: Emissions to water are an important element (describing the pressure) in assessment of the state of Europe’s environment (SoE). This database contains data on emissions of nutrients and hazardous substances to water, aggregated within River Basin Districts (RBDs), in the EEA member countries. The reporting process, endorsed by the Water Directors, and this publication of the data, enables all stakeholders to use the data and contributes to streamlining with other reporting processes.
Located in Data and maps › Datasets
Proportion of classified surface water bodies in different River Basin Districts in poor chemical status for rivers and lakes (left panel) and for coastal and transitional waters (right panel): The figure shows percentage of the total number of classified water bodies. See the indicator specification for more details.
Located in Data and maps › Maps and graphs
Waterbase - UWWTD: Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive: Urban Waste Water treatment Directive concerns the collection, treatment and discharge of urban waste water and the treatment and discharge of waste water from certain industrial sectors. The objective of the Directive is to protect the environment from the adverse effects of the above mentioned waste water discharges.
Located in Data and maps › Datasets