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This section gives a summary of the main human interventions identified from the information collected in this study. The interventions have been divided into three main categories:
River, lake and estuary regulation;
Water abstraction; and,
Activities in the catchment
Each human interventions have been classified into one these categories: some interventions inevitably occur in more than one category but the classification was considered to be appropriate for this investigation and for ease of description. Section 4 gives an overview of each of the 3 categories. More detailed descriptions and examples of the main categories and sub-classes are given in Appendix B.
Tables 3.1 to 3.3 give a summary of the most significant interventions in the hydrological cycle identified by the contributing partners according to biogeographic region.
It appears from the information obtained that the most common and significant human interventions in the hydrological cycle are:
Groundwater abstraction for public water supply and for irrigation purposes (in the Atlantic, Continental and Mediterranean regions).
Damming for generating hydroelectricity (in the Alpine, Continental and Mediterranean regions and in Norway).
Land sealing arising from urbanisation, and land drainage for the purposes of cultivation, occur in each biogeographic region and seem to be as significant as the other interventions described above.
Damming for public water supply and irrigation, river channelisation for flood control, drainage purposes and high intensity agriculture obviously exert a major impact on the hydrological cycle.
Examined more closely, and considering that the selection of the interventions is restricted to a relatively small number of countries, it can be seen that a number of human interventions occur in the same regions.
Land sealing by urbanisation and land drainage for cultivation occur in all regions but damming for public water supply and for irrigation seem to be typical interventions in the Atlantic and Mediterranean regions.
In the Atlantic and the Continental regions the following interventions are common:
Damming for flood control and fish farming;
Dredging of river channels to drain land;
Surface water abstraction for fish farming;
Wet cuts;
River channelisation for drainage and agriculture.
Groundwater abstraction for public water supply and irrigation purposes are significant interventions mainly in the Atlantic, Continental and Mediterranean regions.
Dredging of river channels for mining river bed gravel and surface water abstractions for hydropower and for inter-basin water transfers seem to be typical only for the Alpine region and Norway.
Table 3.1 Major human interventions in the hydrological cycle regarding to category A "River, lake and estuary regulation".
Intervention | Reason |
Region/Country |
||||||
Alp. |
Atl. |
Cont. |
Med. |
N |
FI |
|||
Damming, building and management of river reservoirs | Public water supply | of
surrounding areas of far regions
|
Fsw
|
P F, P |
||||
Irrigation | of
surrounding areas of far regions
|
Fsw |
P F, P |
|||||
Hydropower | Intermittent
power plant Runoff-river power plant Pumped-storage plant Diversion power plant |
A, F |
F |
P |
N |
|||
Flood control | Fnw |
F |
||||||
Low flow enhancement | Providing a reliable downstream water supply |
|
||||||
Fish farming | DK |
DK |
||||||
River channelisation | Flood control | A, F |
A |
N |
||||
Drainage of surrounding land |
|
|
|
|||||
Navigation | Fn |
|||||||
Building of weirs | Improving fish habitats, fishing possibilities |
|
||||||
Dredging of river channels | Drainage of surrounding land |
|
|
|||||
Mining of river bed gravel |
|
|
||||||
Lake regulation | Lake shore modification | Natural lakes |
|
|||||
Hydropower | Natural lakes | N |
||||||
Restoration and care | FI |
|||||||
Estuary regulation | Flood control | Fnw |
||||||
Lagoon regulation | F |
Alp. Alpine region
A Austria
Atl. Atlantic region
DK Denmark
Cont. Continental region
F France
Med. Mediterranean region
N Norway
P Portugal
FI Finland
Part of the Atlantic region in France:
Fn Northern part
Fnw North-western part
Fsw South-western part
Table 3.2 Major human interventions in the hydrological cycle regarding to category B "Water abstraction".
Intervention | Reason |
Region/Country |
|||||
Alp. |
Atl. |
Cont. |
Med. |
N |
|||
Surface water abstraction | Public water supply | of far
regions
|
F |
||||
Industrial water supply |
|
||||||
Irrigation | of
surrounding areas of far regions
|
Fnw,Fsw Fnw,Fsw |
|||||
Fish farming | DK |
DK |
|||||
Hydropower | Diversion
power plant Storage power plant |
A A |
N N |
||||
Inter-basin transfer | F |
N |
|||||
Groundwater abstraction | Public water supply | of
surrounding areas of far regions
|
DK, Fn Fn Fn |
DK F DK |
P P P |
||
Irrigation | of
surrounding areas of far regions
|
DK |
A |
P P |
Alp. Alpine region
A Austria
Atl. Atlantic region
DK Denmark
Cont. Continental region
Med. Mediterranean region
N Norway
P Portugal
Part of the Atlantic region in France:
Fn Northern part
F France
Fnw North-western part
Fsw South-western part
Table 3.3 Major human interventions in the hydrological cycle regarding to category C "Activities in the catchment".
Intervention | Reason |
Region/Country |
|||||
Alp. |
Atl. |
Cont. |
Med. |
N/FI |
|||
Land drainage | Cultivation | A |
Fnw |
DK |
F |
N |
|
Infrastructure for traffic | F |
||||||
Land sealing | Urbanisation | A |
Fnw |
F |
F |
N |
|
Infrastructure for traffic | F |
F |
|||||
Tourism | A |
||||||
Wet cuts | Fnw |
F |
|||||
Agricultural activities | Intensification of agriculture | Cultivation
of crops with high water requirements Long-term changes of grassland to arable land Drainage of wetlands Water regulation in cultivation areas |
Fn, Fsw |
A |
|
||
Forestry | Deforestation | Cultivation Urbanisation Tourist reasons Fire |
P |
||||
Afforestation | N, FI |
Alp. Alpine region
A Austria
Atl. Atlantic region
DK Denmark
Cont. Continental region
Med. Mediterranean region
N Norway
P Portugal
F France
FI Finland
Part of the Atlantic region in France:
Fn Northern part
Fnw North-western part
Fsw South-western part
Because different human interventions in the hydrological cycle are made for similar reasons, the results of the contributions have been regrouped. The following table shows the intended purpose of an intervention in the hydrological cycle in the contributing countries.
Table 3.4 Intended reasons of human interventions in the hydrological cycle
Reason | Region/Country |
Intervention |
|||||
Alp. |
Atl. |
Cont. |
Med. |
N |
|||
Public water supply | of
surrounding areas of far regions
|
Fsw Fnw |
P F, P |
Damming, building and management of river reservoirs | |||
of far
regions
|
F |
Surface water abstraction | |||||
of
surrounding areas of far regions
|
DK, Fn |
DK
|
P P |
Groundwater abstraction | |||
Irrigation | of
surrounding areas of far regions
|
Fsw |
P
|
Damming, building and management of river reservoirs | |||
of
surrounding areas of far regions
|
Fsw,Fnw Fsw,Fnw |
Surface water abstraction | |||||
of
surrounding areas of far regions
|
DK, Fsw, Fn |
A, DK |
P P |
Groundwater abstraction | |||
Hydropower | Intermittent
power plant Runoff-river power plant Pumped-storage plant Diversion power plant |
A, F |
F A, F |
P |
N |
Damming, building and management of river reservoirs | |
Natural lakes | N |
Lake regulation | |||||
Diversion
power station Storage power plant |
A |
N |
Surface water abstraction | ||||
Flood control |
|
|
Damming, building and management of river reservoirs | ||||
A, F |
A |
N |
River channelisation | ||||
Fnw |
Estuary regulation | ||||||
F |
Lagoon regulation | ||||||
Low flow enhancement | To provide a reliable downstream water supply |
|
Damming, building and management of river reservoirs |
Table 3.4 continued
Reason | Region/Country |
Intervention |
|||||
Alp. |
Atl. |
Cont. |
Med. |
N |
|||
Fish farming and fishing |
|
|
Damming, building and management of river reservoirs | ||||
N |
Building of weirs | ||||||
DK |
DK |
Surface water abstraction | |||||
Drainage of surrounding land | DK |
DK |
Dredging of river channels | ||||
DK |
DK |
N |
River channelisation | ||||
Mining of river bed gravel | F |
N |
Dredging of river channels | ||||
Fnw |
F |
Wet cuts | |||||
Infrastructure for | F |
Land drainage | |||||
traffic | F |
F |
Land sealing | ||||
Cultivation | A |
Fnw |
DK |
F |
N |
Land drainage | |
Urbanisation | A |
Fnw |
F |
F |
N |
Land sealing | |
Tourism | A |
Land sealing | |||||
Navigation | Fn |
River channelisation | |||||
Lake shore modification | Natural lakes | A, F |
Lake regulation | ||||
Industrial water supply | F |
Surface water abstraction | |||||
Inter-basin transfer | F |
N |
Surface water abstraction | ||||
Intensification of agriculture | Cultivation
of crops with high water requirements Long-term changes of grassland to arable land Drainage of wetlands Water regulation in cultivation areas |
|
A |
Agricultural activities | |||
Deforestation | Cultivation Urbanisation Tourist reasons Fire |
P |
Forestry | ||||
Afforestation | N |
Forestry |
Alp. Alpine region
A Austria
Atl. Atlantic region
DK Denmark
Cont. Continental region
F France
Med. Mediterranean region
N Norway
P Portugal
Part of the Atlantic region in France:
Fn Northern part
Fnw North-western part
Fsw South-western part
For references, please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/92-9167-030-8/page004.html or scan the QR code.
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