Despite progress by the member states in improving wastewater treatment and lowering the run-off of pollutants from farmland over the last few decades, only 40% of surface waters in the EU are in sound health, according to the report published by the European Environment Agency on Tuesday 3 July.
The report – the second of its kind – covers over 130,000 surface and groundwater bodies, based on the data collected and reported from more than 160 river basin management plans covering the period 2010 to 2015.
Only 40% of the lakes, rivers, estuaries and coastal waters monitored achieved a “good” or “high” ecological status under the terms of the EU water framework directive which required member states to achieve a good water status by 2015 and by 2027 at the latest.
Compared with surface water bodies, groundwater is, in general, in better condition: 74% achieved good chemical status and 89% achieved good quantitative status.
Many of the Central European river basin districts, with higher population density and more intensive agriculture, show the highest proportion of water bodies failing to achieve good ecological status.
In most EU countries, a few substances account for poor chemical status, the most common being mercury, followed by cadmium, which is used in phosphate fertilisers and in metal production. The European Environment Agency, alarmed at the findings of the report, calls on the member states to do more. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)