Status of Europe’s Water and Challenges for Water Policy

Beate Werner & Peter KristensenEuropean Environment Agency

June 4th, 2012

Nov 2012Blueprint

ToSafeguardEU Waters

WFDRiver BasinManagement Plans

Climate ChangeVulnerability& Adaptation

ReviewWater Scarcity& Droughts Strategy

2012 Blueprint to safeguard EU Waters: EEA support - status assessments and water accounts

Outlook of

sustainability and

vulnerability of EU water resources

« Fitness Check»

EU water policy

Policy Options

- Land-use- Ressource efficiency

- Economic InstrumentsGouvernanc

e-Knowledge

Base

EEA role Art. 18 thematic assessments - status, efficiency, vulnarability

Water accounts; Overview assessment

water resource risks; methodologies

2012 EEA reports1.Towards efficient

use of water resources in Europe2. Status of Freshwater

ecosystems and Biodiversity

3. Vulnerability

4. Synthesis

2009

20122010

Towards the 2012 “Blueprint to safeguard Europe’s water resources”

WFD assessmentWater accounts

Country review with Eionet and WFD community

4

Detailed Background documents by EEA/ETC:

• Ecological Status

• Hydromrphological status

• Water Scarcity&Drought

• Floods

Detailed Background documents by EEA/ETC:

• Ecological Status

• Hydromrphological status

• Water Scarcity&Drought

• Floods

•Eionet Workshop

29/30 March

• commenting

Mid March to mid April

•Eionet Workshop

29/30 March

• commenting

Mid March to mid April

Tech

. R

ep

s.

Structuring 2012 thematic assessments

5

EfficiencyBaseline status

Vulnerabilityincl. Water accounts

HYMOECOSTAT

EEA

-rep

ort

s

Synthesis

Other EEA reports

Coordination EEA thematic assessments and Blueprint

6

EU H2O6th WWF

Impact assessmentIA - consultation

RE Rep

Syn thesis

Jan. March Nov.

Inf. Council CY

June

EIONET-review & WS

Hymo, Ecostat as technical reports on the web with web announcement RE, Vul and Syn as full EEA reports printed and launched;

Drought Forum CY

Vul. Rep

Policy options

Status

BP + ImpA

River Basin Management Plans

WISE-WFD

database

WISE-WFD

database

• 104 000 river water bodies (1.2 million km of rivers – average WB length 11.3 km)• 19 000 lake water bodies (two-thirds in Sweden and Finland)• 1000 transitional and 2950 coastal water bodies

26 Member States (- Slovenia) 156 River Basin Districts

State of Europe’s Waters

State of Europe’s Waters

European results

European results

MapsMapsCountry comparisons

Country comparisons

European overview of Ecological status% of water bodies in less than good status per RBD

European overview of Ecological status

Eionet workshop 29-30 March 2012Author: Anne Lyche Solheim, NIVA, ETC-ICM

European overview of pollution pressures pressures

11

Application of fertiliser and Manure, source JRC

Nitrate concen-tration per RBD

• Downward trends in water quality due to improved urban and industrial wastewater! Although these trends have levelled in recent years.

UWWTD needs still full implementation

Pollution from diffuse and point sources are still affecting many European surface waters

Eionet workshop 29-30 March 2012Author: Anne Lyche Solheim, NIVA, ETC-ICM

European overview of HyMo pressures

Barriers and transverse structuresDredging for navigationMorphological changes

Abstraction and flow regulation and water level regulation

Hydromorphological pressures are causing altered habitats and affecting the ecological status.

Main pressures and impacts in rivers and lakesRi

vers

Lake

s

Rivers ecological status and pollution pressures

Main pressures in riversPoint and diffuse pollution Hydromorphological pressures

Eionet workshop 29-30 March 2012Author: Anne Lyche Solheim, NIVA, ETC/ICM

Lakes ecological status and pollution pressures

Main pressures in lakesPoint and diffuse pollution Hydromorphological pressures

Eionet workshop 29-30 March 2012Author: Anne Lyche Solheim, NIVA, ETC/ICM

Rivers ecological status and pressures relations to population density and arable landPopulation density Arable land

Ecological status, pressures and impacts:

• More than half of the surface water bodies in Europe are in less than good ecological status or potential.

• Rivers and transitional waters are reported to have worse ecological status or potential and more pressures and impacts than water bodies in lakes and coastal waters.

• The main pressures are diffuse pollution causing nutrient enrichment, and hydromorphological pressures causing altered habitats.

Water accounts to assess water stress and vulnerability – EU level• Implementation of “Ecosystem accounting” at EU

level, with special regards to water– Pilot adapted Water accounts module of the SEEA (UNSD

international statistical standard) • at EU level • possible methodology for further guidance.

– Adapting SEEAW (for regional / seasonal assessments)– Establish common spatial reference systems and related

data sharing processes in SEIS (Shared Environmental Information System)

Boundaries of sustainability for competing water uses

Water accounts conceptual model

• SEEAW concept : water balances in a strict accounting framework so to link the physical and economic worlds

The accounting spatial unit: ‘territory of reference’, made of ‘statistical units’

Analysis carried out across the inland resource system (natural assets) and the economy

Exchanges between the different components: rain on soil that receives irrigation; rivers fill reservoirs used for abstraction and supply; etc.

Linking the economic and pricing information into the analysis

• Applies to the physical catchments

WEI – with country data in development with WS&D EN

Water uses and towards regional – seasonal WEI

•Water uses under reconstructing / apportioning under NACE.•Example: domestic demand

Source: Pöyry from EEA data Reference Ecrins

Water governance towards 2020

Knowing hydrological Knowing hydrological RealityReality

Water accounts; water resource management

ChallengesChallengesCC; interdependencies

systemic risks

Tailormade measuresTailormade measuresbased on

Status and Pressure assessments,

WFD implementation

• Best comparable knowledgebase on RBD level

• Integration quantity and quality• Sectoral policy integration• Participation/communication & transparancy

Four challenges for Europe’s Waters• Overuse of fertilisers and

diffuse pollution of surface and groundwater

• Water use for irrigation

• Drainage and affects of small water bodies and wetlands

• Barriers, transverse structures

• changes for water abstraction, flow and water level regulation

• Dredging for navigation, and abstraction of e.g. gravel.

• Climate change challenges water quantity and quality

• Water scarcity , droughts are increasingly forcing equitable resource allocation

• Flood risks require rethinking of land management

• Systemic challenges require integrated advanced policy solutions

• Communication vital; and solutions to be found on River basin level

Thank you for you attention