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5.3 Pressure and impacts on quantitative status

In 10 % of the groundwater area which fails to achieve good quantitative status, the main reasons are lowered water table (75 %), deterioration of associated surface waters (24 %) and dependent terrestrial ecosystems (20 %) and saline intrusion (9 %). A groundwater body may have more than one reason for failure of good status.

The main pressures affecting groundwater bodies are abstraction and change in groundwater level (Figure 5.3). Over-abstraction is affecting 16 % of the total groundwater area. The main significant pressures causing failure of good quantitative status are water abstraction for public water supply, agriculture and industry.  

Figure 5.3 Significant pressures causing failure to achieve good quantitative status.

Note: Data from 25 Member States of which 19 Member States have groundwater bodies failing good quantitative status

Source: WISE-SoW database data from 25 Member States (except Greece, Ireland and Lithuania)– September 2017.

Previous comments

  • reckinann (Anne-Marie Reckinger) 26 Feb 2018 11:27:46

    ”failing to achieve good” should be replaced by ”poor”. The colour code for good status is green and for poor status red.

  • UEPG (European Aggregates Association) (invited by Peter Kristensen) 26 Feb 2018 14:39:29

    In reference to: "The main pressures affecting groundwater bodies are abstraction and change in groundwater level (Figure 5.3). Over-abstraction is affecting 16 % of the total groundwater area. The main significant pressures causing failure of good quantitative status are water abstraction for public water supply, agriculture and industry."  

    A recent study (2016-2017) on water management in the aggregates sites by the European Aggregates Association (UEPG) is showing that the impact of aggregates extraction sites on the quantitative status of surface water and ground water is negligible. All the water abstractions in quarries are subject to a permit granted by river basin management bodies. Moreover, a vast majority of aggregates sites with washing processes have in place water recycling circuits and systems with very high efficiency rates minimising water consumption. Water is reused in a closed circuit and clarified before discharged (50% of aggregates sites do not make any discharge). According to the conclusions of that study, the demand for water in the Aggregates Industry is decreasing thanks to water efficiency policies and techniques.

    It would be therefore strongly recommended to clearly define what is meant by industry and to to make a clear distinction between the concept of mining and quarrying, as the nature of their activities, the properties of the materials they extract and their water consumtion are very different.  

  • voet (Jan Hendrik Voet) 26 Feb 2018 15:19:02

    BE-FLA (RV): p. 52 §4 … deterioration of associated surface waters (24 %) and dependent terrestrial ecosystems (20 %) and saline intrusion (9 %).

    Explain in what way these are pressures on the quantitative status.

  • voet (Jan Hendrik Voet) 26 Feb 2018 15:20:31

    BE-FLA (RV): p. 52 §5 Over-abstraction is affecting 16 %...

    Fig 5.3: Abstraction 7%, but total of abstraction pressures is only 14%

  • voet (Jan Hendrik Voet) 26 Feb 2018 15:25:26

    BE-FLA (RV-WV): p. 53 Fig 5.3

    1) Explain “GW recharge of water level”: recharge is part of measures or recovery and is not really a pressure.

    2) What is meant by “groundwater recharge” as a pressure? Decrease in groundwater recharge by for example decreased infiltration as a result of increased level of paving?

    3) Groundwater quantitative status – abstraction pressures: pressures > sources??

  • scheidand (Andreas Scheidleder) 28 Feb 2018 11:29:15

    (AT) 1st sentence: In 10 % of the groundwater body area which fails ...

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