1. EEAs assessments of the status of Europe’s waters
Session 1
Peter Kristensen
Project manager Integrated Water Assessment,
European Environment Agency (EEA)
Eionet NRC Freshwater meeting, June 2015

2. 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?

3. 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 EEA Waterbase data sets contain information reported by EEA member countries over the last two decades (water quality in groundwater, rivers, lakes; emissions of pollutants and water quantity).
The WISE‑SoE data flows have successfully provided a solid basis of information for several of EEA indicators and water assessments.

4. The MDIAK Information Chain
(M) Monitoring
The WISE‑SoE data flows have successfully provided a solid basis of information for several of EEA indicators and water assessments.
(D) Data
Structure
(I) Indicators
Interpret
(A) Assessments
The EEA Waterbase data sets contain information reported by EEA member countries over the last two decades (water quality in groundwater, rivers, lakes; emissions of pollutants and water quantity).
The WISE‑SoE data flows have successfully provided a solid basis of information for several of EEA indicators and water assessments.
Integrate
Reflect
(K)
Slides from Thomas Henrichs, EEA – prepared for Integrated Environmental Assessments - EEA West Balkan Summer School 2013

5. Bathing water report including: 30 national reports,
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 comparison
Updated water CSIs and maps
Nutrients in freshwater
Oxygen consuming substances
WISE maps

6. Annual reporting of Bathing Water quality (EN, DE and FR)
European Bathing Water Quality in 2014
Annual reporting of Bathing Water quality
(EN, DE and FR)
30 National reports
Data viewer
Map viewers
Link:

7. Heavy web-traffic WISE Bathing Water map viewer
3 mio.
Pageviews
2 mio.
1 mio.

8. Several hundreds news articles
Source:

11. Progress to policy targets
Assessing European trends: Protecting, conserving and enhancing natural capital
Protecting, conserving and enhancing natural capital
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
20+ years outlook
Improving trends dominate
Trends show mixed picture
Deteriorating trends dominate
Largely on track
Partially on track
Largely not on track   
Source: EEA. SOER 2015 Synthesis report.
Overall
summary table
Summary table 2/3
Summary table 3/3

13. Freshwater quality
GO TO ONLINE BRIEFING
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 resulting in the realisation of more policy objectives through stringent, well- integrated implementation and public participation.
© Peter Kristensen, EEA
Ecol. status of freshwater bodies
Water quality and nutrient loading
Climate change impacts on ecosystems
Industrial pollution to air, soil and water
Water pollution & related envi. health risks
Urban systems and grey infrastructure
Chemicals & related envi. health risks
Water use and water stress
Freshwater quality

14. Hydrological systems and sustainable water management
GO TO ONLINE BRIEFING
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.
© Katarzyna Dąbrowska, Environment & Me /EEA
Ecol. status of freshwater bodies
Water quality and nutrient loading
Water use and water stress

16. SOER 2015: Cross-country comparisons
Average concentration of nitrate-nitrogen in rivers in 38 European countries (1992, 2000 and 2012)

17. CSI 019: Oxygen consuming substances (BOD and ammonium in rivers)
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 and ;
New layout and use of Daviz (Data Visualization) diagrams;
Trend by country; and
Statistical test of trend.

18. EEA core set indicator:Nutrients in freshwater
Source: EEA Nutrients in freshwater (CSI 020/WAT 003)

19. Updated WISE interactive maps
WISE SoE dataflows
Groundwater (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
active/by-category

20. 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.
Link:
Latest year ( ): 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)

21. Update of CSI 018 Use of freshwater resources
Draft seasonal Water Exploitation Index
Spring 2015 first NRC consultation
August update and 2nd consultation
October updated CSI 018

22. Emissions and hazardous substances
Published as ETC report December 2014 Link

23. Freshwater ecosystem assessment
Habitat Directive – Conservation status of freshwater (rivers and lakes) habitats and species
Favourable
Unknown
Unfavourable inadequate
Unfavourable
Published as ETC report Summer 2015 Link

24. 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?

25. Thank you
eea.europa.eu