Groundwater in EuropeJohnny Fredericia

Geological Survey of Denmark and

Greenland

Groundwater in Europe

• Introduction

• Water resources

• European water

• Abstraction and renewable resource

• Groundwater - surface water

• Climate impact

• Water Framework Directive

• Groundwater pollution

Water is the basis for life on Earth,

but also for the human culture.

Roman water supply system

Water supply in

Denmark

Opening of Osted

water plant

A secure and safe

water supply is one of

the modern society's

pillars.

How did we loose

awareness?

The Water Cycle

• Blokdiagram af vandkredsløb

Glaciers and permanent ice caps.cover 10% of the dryland ( ~70% of the fresh water)

Groundwater represent more than 90% of easy enviable

freshwater. About 1.500.000.000 people depend on

groundwater as a source for drinking water.

The amount of extracted ground water is app. 20% of

the total global consumption of water. WMO, 1997

1995 and 2025Availability, renewable

resource on Earth is nearly

constant in a stable climate

The heterogeneous

distribution of water and

people create increasing

problems for availability

and amount of fresh water

2025

1995

Water

exploitation

index.

Total water

abstraction per

year as

percentage of

long-term

freshwater

resources in

1990 and 2002

Water stress in Europe,

2000 and 2030, EEA

Population exposed to drought events in

Europe

Temperature deviation, compared to 1961-1990 avg (oC), Europe

-1,5

-1,0

-0,5

0,0

0,5

1,0

1,5

1850

1860

1870

1880

1890

1900

1910

1920

1930

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

Annual Winter Summer

Climate models

Winter precipitation (% change)

(2071-2100) – (1961-1990)

Sommer precipitation (%change)

(2071-2100) – (1961-1990)

Fra DMI

Water abstractions in Europe –

Groundwater/ surface waterGW is

increasingly

preferred for

public water

supply because

of generally

higher quality

EEA 2000

GW gives

more stable

supply

Infiltration

increases GW

resources

Total abstraction/long term renewable resource

abstraction

renewable

Increasing groundwater level in Vestjylland (layer 5)

B2A2

General objectives, Water Framework Directive.

• To prevent any deterioration in existing status of surface water

and groundwater

• To ensure that al bodies of surface and groundwater achieve at

least “good status”

• To prevent any increase in direct or indirect pollution of surface

water

• To reverse any significant and sustained upward trend in

concentration of pollutants in groundwater

• To ensure a progressive reduction of pollution from priority

hazardous substances in ALL water bodies

• Requires fulfillment of other water related directives :Nitrate,

Drinking water, Pesticide, Habitat, (Marine)

Groundwater directive (WFD § 17)

12.december 2006

• Good status means the status achieved by a groundwater body when both its quantitative status and its chemical status are at least”good”.

• Good status shall be obtained in 2015!

• For NO-3 and pesticides specific concentration limits exist.

• Threshold values are to be defined for all pollutants of relevance for Water Bodies nationally or by water districts. If a GB exceeds a threshold value it does not have a good status.

• Member states have to act to reverse upward trends of contaminants in a GB, The ”point of action” has to be defined (typ:75% of threshold value) and if the conc. makes surface water bodies at risk.

• It’s complicated, ambitious, flexible (”or full of loop holes”)

Nitrate-fertiliser, usage in kg/ha agricultural area in 1994 (Source: FAO, 1996)

Nitrate in groundwater

Better sanitation for pigs required

Data from NASA (Aqua Modis) - Courtesy GRAS A/S

University of Copenhagen / DHI Water and Environment

Eutrophication: Harmful algal blooms (Cyanobacteria) in North

European coastal waters, August 8, 2006

Photo from ferry: K. Hinsby

Pesticide consumption (kg/ha) in Europe

Fra IWA, 2002

Denmark:

Why so

interested in

pesticides in

ground water?

Number of approved active

pesticide ingredients

Number of pesticides

monitored in groundwater

Pesticides in

groundwater

Danger of Groundwater pollution by

pesticides. Red: danger of pesticide pollution in

GW reported by countries green: no danger of

pesticide pollution in GW reported by countries

?

Salt water intrusion due to groundwater extraction

Some conclusions:Groundwater has to some extent been overlooked in the past, but

it is now integrated in The Water Framework Directive and is

becoming increasingly important.

Groundwater is largest and most sensible resource and should be

protected against:

Old and emerging threads (virus, pesticides, hormones, pharmaceuticals, industrial

chemicals, pathogen bacteria's, natural toxins etc, etc, etc….)

• Overexploitation in a changing climate

• Groundwater protection and fulfillment of GWD requires

extensive geological knowledge and research (not at least in

forecasting).

•To obtain “good status” in 2015 may be impossible.

•The European problems and challenges are huge – the global

enormous.

Questions?