Water

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Clean fresh water is essential to life. Unfortunately, since the Industrial Revolution, most of Europe's rivers have been treated unwisely as a convenient way of transporting waste to the sea, affecting the biodiversity of thousands of kilometers of waterways, harming human health, and in the end polluting coastal and marine waters. More

Key facts and messages: Unsustainable fishing occurs in all European Seas and is threatening the viability of European fish stocks. 21 to 60% of the commercial fish stocks in the North-East Atlantic, the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean are considered to be outside safe biological limits. more; Nutrient enrichment is a major problem in the coastal and marine environment, where it accelerates the growth of phytoplankton and can lead to oxygen depletion. Concentrations of some heavy metals and persistent organic contaminants in marine biota exceed food stuff limits in all Europe’s seas. more; Designation of coastal and marine sites as part of Natura 2000, although improving, has been slow and difficult. The conservation status of some coastal and most marine habitats still needs to be assessed, while 22 % of marine mammals are threatened with extinction. The available data suggest... more; Many European river basins and waters have been altered by such human activities as water abstraction, land drainage, and dams. These often lead to major adverse ecological effects and leave limited space for natural habitats. Because of these problems and poor water quality the aim of the... more; Water scarcity and droughts have severe consequences for many economic sectors. Over-abstraction is causing low river flows, lowered groundwater levels and the drying-up of wetlands, with detrimental impacts on freshwater ecosystems. Climate change is projected to increase water shortages,... more; Over the past ten years Europe has suffered more than 175 major floods, causing deaths, the displacement of people and large economic losses. Climate change is projected to increase the intensity and frequency of floods. more; In the past, European water management has focused on increasing supply through deep wells, dams and reservoirs, desalination and large-scale water–transfer infrastructures. Future water management will benefit from applying an ecosystems perspective, using floodplains and groundwater aquifers... more; Europe cannot endlessly increase its water supply, we must reduce demand. Policies are needed to encourage demand management. Demand measures could include the use of economic instruments; water loss controls; water-reuse and recycling; increased efficiency of domestic, agricultural and industrial... more; Good water resource management is required to meet the needs of a resource efficient future, sustain human and economic development and maintain the essential functions of our water ecosystems. The solutions lie in more integrated and sustainable water management, integration of water aspects... more; Europe’s freshwaters contain a number of pollutants including nutrients, metals, pesticides, pathogenic micro-organisms, industrial chemicals and pharmaceuticals. These can have adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems, degrading habitats and resulting in the loss of freshwater flora and fauna.... more; The Water Framework Directive, the single most important piece of legislation relating to the quality of Europe’s fresh and coastal waters, aims to attain good ecological and chemical status by 2015. For a number of freshwater bodies, substantial improvements will be required to meet this target. more; Implementation of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive, together with comparable non-EU legislation, has led to improvements in wastewater treatment across much of the continent. This has resulted in reduced point discharges of nutrients and organic pollution to freshwater bodies. more; Diffuse pollution from both agriculture and urban areas remains a major pressure on Europe’s freshwater. Cost-effective measures to tackle both sources exist and can be implemented through the river basin management plans of the Water Framework Directive. Full compliance with the Nitrates... more; Removing pollution is expensive, uses energy and chemicals, and results in the generation of wastes. Controlling pollutants at source, however, decreases their discharge to freshwaters and reduces the need for treatment. There is considerable scope for greater implementation of source control... more; Across the European Union, agriculture uses about a quarter of water diverted from the natural environment, though this can be up to 80% in southern Europe. more; Public water supply accounts for approximately a fifth of water use across Europe – and over a quarter of this is used just to flush the toilet more; 30 % of Europe’s fish stocks (for which information exists) are fished outside safe biological levels. more; The consumption of fish in Europe has been increasing over the last 15 years while fish catches from European waters have decreased. more; Where marine species and habitat types have been assessed, the majority are found to be in unfavourable or unknown condition; only 10 % of habitats and 2 % of species are found in good condition. more; The sea surface temperature changes in the European regional seas have been up to six times greater than in the global oceans in the past 25 years. more; The current reduction of 0.1 in pH that has occurred over the industrial era translates to a 30 % increase in ocean acidity. This change has occurred at a rate that is about a hundred times faster than any change in acidity experienced during the past 55 million of years. A further decline... more; In Europe as a whole, 45 % of freshwater abstraction is for cooling in energy production, followed by: agriculture, 22 %; public water supply, 21 %; and industry, 12 %. In southern Europe, agriculture accounts for more than half of total national abstraction, rising to more than 80 % in some... more; Public water demand in eastern Europe has declined by 40 % since the early 1990s as a result of higher water prices and the economic downturn. A similar but less marked reduction in demand is apparent in western Europe over recent years, driven by changes in awareness and behaviour and increases... more; Over the past ten years, Europe suffered more than 175 major floods, causing deaths, the displacement of people and large economic losses. more; A comparison of the impacts of droughts in the EU between 1976-1990 and 1991-2006 shows a doubling in both area and population affected. more; Each European uses, on average, 100-200 litres of tap water a day, but if the amount of water embedded in products (virtual water) such as food, paper, and clothes is included, water use is often 10 to 20 times higher. more; Despite improvements in some regions, diffuse pollution from agriculture remains a major cause of the poor water quality currently observed in parts of Europe. Agriculture contributes 50-80 % of the total nitrogen load observed in Europe’s freshwater, with point discharges, including from... more; In northern Europe, over 80 % of the population is connected to municipal treatment works via a sewer network while in central Europe the figure is above 95 %. Elsewhere in Europe, connection rates are lower, although in the case of the newer EU Member States, this is explained by the later... more; The quality of inland bathing waters – rivers and lakes – in the EU has improved significantly since 1990. In 2009, 89 % of inland bathing areas complied with mandatory values, while 71 % complied with the more stringent guide values. more; A substantial proportion of Europe’s freshwaters are at risk of not achieving good status under the EU Water Framework Directive by 2015 (40 % of surface waters and 30 % of groundwaters, in 2004). more; In 2008, ten of 12 waterborne disease outbreaks reported in the EU were linked to the contamination of private wells. more; Some estimates calculate that approximately a quarter of water abstracted for irrigation in Europe could be saved, just by changing the type of pipe or channel used. more

Subtopics

Water: how can we account for our most vital resource?

May 10, 2012

The world is entering a period of growing water scarcity: by 2030, global demand for fresh water could outstrip supply by more than 40 % if water is used in the same way that it is today. These stark figures are the background to a new report from the International Resource Panel, a group of natural resources experts hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme.

Europe needs to use water more efficiently

Mar 13, 2012

Europe needs to redouble efforts in using water more efficiently to avoid undermining its economy, according to a new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA). Inefficient water use impacts hard on the resources needed by ecosystems and people, both vital assets for European productivity and security.

Environmental information network extends across Europe, Central Asia and Russian Federation

Sep 23, 2011

Government ministers and delegates from 53 countries agreed to extend the European network for sharing environmental information across the pan-European region. The commitment was made at the seventh Ministerial Environment for Europe summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, which concluded today.

Pan-European assessment asks: 'What do we know about water and green economy?'

Sep 21, 2011

Ministers will meet in Astana, Kazakhstan, today to discuss water issues and greening the economy at the seventh 'Environment for Europe' Ministerial Conference, running from 21 - 23 September 2011. To support the Conference, the European Environment Agency (EEA) is launching an innovative Assessment of Assessments report, which recommends ways that environmental information and policy making can be more closely aligned.

Water quality and wastewater treatment — WISE interactive maps updated

Jul 25, 2011

A series of maps on water quality, updated with the latest information reported by countries, has been published by the European Environment Agency (EEA). The maps display water quality parameters in various receiving waters across Europe, alongside information on urban wastewater treatment and receiving areas sensitive to eutrophication.

Hazardous substances in Europe’s fresh and marine waters – an overview

Jul 14, 2011

Hazardous substances in fresh and marine water can harm aquatic life and pose a risk to human health, according to a new report published today by the European Environment Agency (EEA). The report notes that while European legislation to address the issue is relatively strong, new challenges exist including ‘emerging pollutants’ where potential effects are not yet fully understood. More effort is also needed to ensure that chemicals are produced and used more sustainably.

Water: how can we account for our most vital resource? The world is entering a period of growing water scarcity: by 2030, global demand for fresh water could outstrip supply by more than 40 % if water is used in the same way that it is today. These stark figures are the background to a new report from the International Resource Panel, a group of natural resources experts hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme.

Europe needs to use water more efficiently Europe needs to redouble efforts in using water more efficiently to avoid undermining its economy, according to a new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA). Inefficient water use impacts hard on the resources needed by ecosystems and people, both vital assets for European productivity and security.

Environmental information network extends across Europe, Central Asia and Russian Federation Government ministers and delegates from 53 countries agreed to extend the European network for sharing environmental information across the pan-European region. The commitment was made at the seventh Ministerial Environment for Europe summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, which concluded today.

Pan-European assessment asks: 'What do we know about water and green economy?' Ministers will meet in Astana, Kazakhstan, today to discuss water issues and greening the economy at the seventh 'Environment for Europe' Ministerial Conference, running from 21 - 23 September 2011. To support the Conference, the European Environment Agency (EEA) is launching an innovative Assessment of Assessments report, which recommends ways that environmental information and policy making can be more closely aligned.

Water quality and wastewater treatment — WISE interactive maps updated A series of maps on water quality, updated with the latest information reported by countries, has been published by the European Environment Agency (EEA). The maps display water quality parameters in various receiving waters across Europe, alongside information on urban wastewater treatment and receiving areas sensitive to eutrophication.

Hazardous substances in Europe’s fresh and marine waters – an overview Hazardous substances in fresh and marine water can harm aquatic life and pose a risk to human health, according to a new report published today by the European Environment Agency (EEA). The report notes that while European legislation to address the issue is relatively strong, new challenges exist including ‘emerging pollutants’ where potential effects are not yet fully understood. More effort is also needed to ensure that chemicals are produced and used more sustainably.

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