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Juergen FOERSTER (invited by Nihat Zal) 20 Sep 2019 15:50:05

Dear colleagues,

this is a comment on behalf of Eurostat:

We acknowledge the enormous efforts invested by the EEA into the 'water accounts' work!

However, we think that the current state of the presentation and documentation of this work could - and should! - be vastly improved in order to allow for comparisons and assessments, prerequisite for decisions about application and use of the data and other information resulting from the project.

At current, the information available is spread over various documents and in general is not clear and detailed enough, e.g. regarding
- the mix of measured and modelled data, and how they are combined and integrated;
- the details of the estimation methods used (e.g. assumptions made, proxies and coefficients used);
- the uncertainty/accuracy of the results;
- comparison with independent external sources (wherever possible);

We miss the proper implementation of accounting methodology, e.g. a clear set-up and presentation of balanced supply and use tables or the inclusion of stocks for assset accounts.

On our wish list would be a finer resolution of economic activities, as well as spatial aggregation / disaggregation to the country and NUTS level scales in order to allow for crossing and comparing the water accounts data with various other - primarily economic data as available in the statistical system.

We are looking forward to discussing improved, well documented versions of the 'water accounts' resulting from the EEA's hybrid methodology!
- zalllnih (Nihat Zal) 25 Oct 2019 14:12:10
  
  Dear colleagues,
  
  this is a comment on behalf of Eurostat:
  
  We acknowledge the enormous efforts invested by the EEA into the 'water accounts' work!
  
  However, we think that the current state of the presentation and documentation of this work could - and should! - be vastly improved in order to allow for comparisons and assessments, prerequisite for decisions about application and use of the data and other information resulting from the project.
  
  At current, the information available is spread over various documents and in general is not clear and detailed enough, e.g. regarding
  - the mix of measured and modelled data, and how they are combined and integrated;
  - the details of the estimation methods used (e.g. assumptions made, proxies and coefficients used);
  - the uncertainty/accuracy of the results;
  
  - comparison with independent external sources (wherever possible);
  
  The work on EEA Water accounts of Europe is an ongoing process for many years. There are a number of documents already developed by the EEA on the data sources, gap-filling methodology, computation of variables of the water accounts etc. In addition, a report on “Background supporting document on the EEA water accounts” had been shared with representative of the Member Countries in prior to the EEA Water Accounts Workshop held on 5-6 of June 2019 in Copenhagen; and further all documentation have been distributed to all Water quantity NRCs and NFPs of the EEA Member countries as part of the EINOET consultation for the water accounts database.
  
  The Background Document –among other documentation - can be seen on the IG Water accounts in the Forum;
  
  https://forum.eionet.europa.eu/nrc-eionet-freshwater/library/2019-water-accounts-database/water-accounts-database/20190520_background-document-wa-workshop-v2/download/en/1/20190520_Background%20Document%20WA%20workshop%20v2.pdf
  
  These documents provide an overview of the conceptual and practical implementations for various modules, which are needed to establish water asset and physical supply & use accounts (climate variables, flows, water abstraction and water use, etc.). During the workshop, the agenda focused on the above-mentioned issues (e.g. data sources, reporting/modelling, methods, uncertainties) in special sessions, where relevant principles and assumptions where discussed. The logic and function of the EEA water accounting tool (Nopolu) was also presented.
  
  We miss the proper implementation of accounting methodology, e.g. a clear set-up and presentation of balanced supply and use tables or the inclusion of stocks for assset accounts.
  
  The database, which was under the EIONET consultation, is organized component by component of the Water Asset and Flow Accounts (Physical supply and Use). The database provides necessary inputs if the end user would need to develop the accounting tables e.g. asset or physical supply and use. On the other hand, it is also envisaged the database to be accompanied by a Tableau viewer with advanced capacities for illustrating asset and flow accounts tables for selected river basin and time scale.
  
  Regarding opening and closing stocks of the asset, currently this information cannot be accurately provided, because the required level of information on reservoirs and groundwater storage is not available at broad European scale.
  
  On our wish list would be a finer resolution of economic activities, as well as spatial aggregation / disaggregation to the country and NUTS level scales in order to allow for crossing and comparing the water accounts data with various other - primarily economic data as available in the statistical system.
  
  WISE SoE Water quantity and Eurostat database are the main data source of the data on water abstraction by economic activities where data is not always sufficient for all required components of the water accounts.
  
  The primary objective with developing the European water accounts is to provide the required information on assessing the water scarcity and resource efficiency in Europe. For that purpose, the geo-referenced water exploitation index (WEI+) is regularly developed by the EEA with aim to illustrate seasonal dimension of the water scarcity at finer spatial scales e.g. sub-basin or river basin level. Despite statistical unit varies largely depending on data variables, the current analytical unit for the water accounts is Ecrins sub-basin defined according to hydrological/hydrographic thresholds. Nevertheless, EEA water accounts production database has the capacity to produce water accounts either at the NUTS2 or Country level. This is planned for the second version of the Water accounts in 2021 as presented in the roadmap during the Water accounts workshop.
  
  We are looking forward to discussing improved, well documented versions of the 'water accounts' resulting from the EEA's hybrid methodology!
gomesfer (Fernanda Gomes) 20 Sep 2019 18:04:23

Portugal (PT) is grateful for the opportunity to comment on the water accounts database, the methodology for the computation of water balances and the water exploitation index plus (WEI+), as well as the very useful and intuitive interactive dashboard.

Nonetheless, following our previous comments and remarks, we still have some questions and doubts about these issues that we want to clarify.

In the first place, we would like to know specifically what is the primary source of PT data. If the PT mainland database is the one presented in the Excel spreadsheets, we point out that we don´t recognize it.

We still lack the elements to understand in detail how the calculation of WEI+ is made (of course, we know the mathematical formula but we need to know how to implement it correctly). The spreadsheets with the values of its various components (abstractions, precipitation, returns, RWR, etc.) are available but not the calculation itself. Only the final values of WEI+ are shown in the table (spreadsheet “Seasonal Water exploitation index”), without being possible to understand in detail how the calculation was made.

Just a quick example of how our calculation (using data you provided) doesn't reach the same results as you:

River basin: Sado and Mira (chosen because all the river basin is located in Portuguese territory)

Year / Season: 2015 /Q4 (months 10, 11 and 12)

Abstraction (Mm³) = 121,92998 (using the values of the spreadsheet “5.FRBD monthly water abstraction”)

Returns (Mm³) = 97,79281 (using the values of the spreadsheet “2.FRBD monthly water returns”)

RWR (Mm³) = 140,10154 (using the values of the spreadsheet “Seasonal Water exploitation index”)

Using the formula: WEI+(%) = (Abstraction – Returns)/RWR = (121,92998 – 97,79281) / 140,10154 = 17,23% (the value given in the spreadsheet “Seasonal Water exploitation index” is 22,44%).

If possible, please send us a spreadsheet or some concrete examples of how the calculation is done for our specific guidance.

For a better understanding and use of the interactive dashboard, PT suggests that titles be placed in the columns, e.g. “Water abstraction source” (left column) and “Economic activity” (right column).

Thank you very much in advance for your clarifications and help.
- zalllnih (Nihat Zal) 25 Oct 2019 14:51:10
  
  Portugal (PT) is grateful for the opportunity to comment on the water accounts database, the methodology for the computation of water balances and the water exploitation index plus (WEI+), as well as the very useful and intuitive interactive dashboard.
  
  Nonetheless, following our previous comments and remarks, we still have some questions and doubts about these issues that we want to clarify.
  
  In the first place, we would like to know specifically what is the primary source of PT data. If the PT mainland database is the one presented in the Excel spreadsheets, we point out that we don´t recognize it.
  
  A standard methodology is implemented for all countries across Europe. So the same principles and assumptions are applied everywhere. In addition, there are common sources of European-level datasets being used (e.g. WISE SoE, Eurostat and OECD database for water abstraction by economic activities, DG ENV Cooling database for water abstraction for cooling, WISE SoE for streamflow and JRC LISFLOOD to fill the gaps in the streamflow time series and E-OBS data for the climate variables), unless a country chooses to provide its own self-standing data.Hpwever, it should be underlined that the current version of the EEA Water accounts database is not involving the data reported to the WISE SoE 3 after 2016. Integration of the data reported at the sub-unit and river basin level to WISE SoE 3 between 2016 and 2019 will be performed in 2020. This requires primarily the integration of the spatial data reported to WISE 5 into the spatial reference data (Ecrins) of the EEA water accounts production database.
  
  We still lack the elements to understand in detail how the calculation of WEI+ is made (of course, we know the mathematical formula but we need to know how to implement it correctly). The spreadsheets with the values of its various components (abstractions, precipitation, returns, RWR, etc.) are available but not the calculation itself. Only the final values of WEI+ are shown in the table (spreadsheet “Seasonal Water exploitation index”), without being possible to understand in detail how the calculation was made.
  
  Just a quick example of how our calculation (using data you provided) doesn't reach the same results as you:
  
  River basin: Sado and Mira (chosen because all the river basin is located in Portuguese territory)
  
  Year / Season: 2015 /Q4 (months 10, 11 and 12)
  
  Abstraction (Mm³) = 121,92998 (using the values of the spreadsheet “5.FRBD monthly water abstraction”)
  
  Returns (Mm³) = 97,79281 (using the values of the spreadsheet “2.FRBD monthly water returns”)
  
  RWR (Mm³) = 140,10154 (using the values of the spreadsheet “Seasonal Water exploitation index”)
  
  Using the formula: WEI+(%) = (Abstraction – Returns)/RWR = (121,92998 – 97,79281) / 140,10154 = 17,23% (the value given in the spreadsheet “Seasonal Water exploitation index” is 22,44%).
  
  If possible, please send us a spreadsheet or some concrete examples of how the calculation is done for our specific guidance.
  
  For a better understanding and use of the interactive dashboard, PT suggests that titles be placed in the columns, e.g. “Water abstraction source” (left column) and “Economic activity” (right column).
  
  Many thanks for this advice, well-taken
  
  Thank you very much in advance for your clarifications and help.
  
  As you requested, we are preparing the excel spreadsheet and will upload to the IG Water accounts on the Forum rather soon to show the calculation for each variable of the water exploitation index by which you can make exercise with calculating the WEI+ for selected river basin. However, please consider that water abstraction from “Water collection, treatment and supply” is a component of the water flow within the economy. Hence, it needs to be excluded from the total gross abstraction. Similarly, water return from other sectors to Sewerage (ISIC 37) should be excluded from the calculation of total water returns into the environment. In addition, in order to eliminate the impacts of possible extreme values that could harm the dataset quality, IQR algorithm is applied on the calculation of the WEI+.
  
  For the Sado and Mira RBD (WFD0000011) the implementation of the WEI+ equation is the following:
  
  Abstractions = 117.55 hm3
  
  Returns= 86.54 hm3
  
  RWR= 140.10 hm3
  
  WEI+ = (117.55 - 86.54) / 140.10 = 31.01/140.10 ~ 22 %
  
  Due to lack of data, the approximation of the opening and closing stocks is a source of uncertainty in the calculation of water accounts, because it affects the ΔS part of the RWR equation. Apart from this, the EEA water accounts system (Nopolu) works on a monthly scale, so small deviations in quarterly figures should be disregarded, as they can be outcomes of averaged aggregations.

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