7. Measures related to groundwater quantitative status

The measures that were identified in the WISE-WFD database as well as in the compliance check database were grouped into 11 categories and are outlined below:

  1. Promote and increase water use efficiency
  2. Controls over groundwater abstraction - including registers of  abstractions and requirement for prior authorisation of abstractions
  3. Controls of artificial recharge or augmentation of groundwater bodies - including a requirement for prior authorisation
  4. Monitoring: abstractions (installation of meters), piezometric levels
  5. Investment in water saving irrigation techniques
  6. Management plans
  7. Awareness raising//advise/education
  8. (waste) water  re-use and rain water management
  9. Artificial recharge (Increase resources by e.g. desalination)
  10. Science/Research/Risk and vulnerability Assessments
  11. financial incentives / pricing policy for sustainable use (charges/fines/taxes for GW abstractions)

The measures outlined above were compiled from analyzing those RBDs that in 2009 were in poor quantitative status but the projections for 2015 are showing significant improvement. Table 7.1 lists the RBDs under assessment and the percentage of improvement in their status from 2009-2015. The main countries showing significant improvement are Spain, France and Italy.

Table 7.1 – % of quantitative improvement 2009-2015 (poor status RBDs)

RBDs

poor 09

poor 15

2009-2015

No. of improved GWBs

ES050

35.0%

28.3%

6.67%

4

ES060

46.3%

0.0%

46.27%

31

ES070

69.8%

63.5%

6.35%

4

ES080

37.8%

0.0%

37.78%

34

ES100

15.4%

5.1%

10.26%

4

ES110

20.0%

0.0%

20.00%

18

FRD

8.9%

0.0%

8.89%

16

FRF

17.1%

4.8%

12.38%

13

FRG

7.0%

2.1%

4.90%

7

ITB

19.1%

0.0%

19.15%

27

ITC

26.9%

14.0%

12.90%

24

ITE

15.0%

12.0%

3.01%

4

SE4

0.7%

0.0%

0.69%

4

SK40000

5.2%

0.0%

5.15%

5

UK01

12.0%

9.5%

2.46%

7

 

Table 7.2 shows the number of RBDs where the measure was applied as well as the percentage according to the RBDs that were under investigation. From the results it can be noticed that for the first three measures (water efficiency, control over groundwater abstraction and control of artificial recharge) 100% of the time the measure was applied. In 12 out of 15 RBDs (80% of the time) Monitoring of abstractions measure is applied. The rest of the measures are applied approximately 50% of the time with an exception of measure 11 with only 2 RBDs considering it in their measure plan.

 

Table 7.2 – Group of measures and % of measures used from 15 RBDs

No

Measures

Number of RBDs -applied measure

% of measure applied

1

Promote and increase water use efficiency

15

100

2

Controls over groundwater abstraction - including registers of  abstractions and requirement for prior authorisation of abstractions

15

100

3

Controls of artificial recharge or augmentation of groundwater bodies - including a requirement for prior authorisation

15

100

4

Monitoring: abstractions (installation of meters), piezometric levels

12

80

5

Investment in water saving irrigation techniques

8

53

6

Management plans

8

53

7

Awareness raising//advise/education

7

47

8

(waste) water  re-use and rain water management

7

47

9

Artificial recharge (Increase resources by e.g. desalination)

6

40

10

Science/Research/Risk and vulnerability Assessments

6

40

11

financial incentives / pricing policy for sustainable use (charges/fines/taxes for GW abstractions)

2

13

 

It is very important to mention that in the overall assessment, several countries just refer to laws or guidelines where the detailed measures are described. This means that the overall table with the measures per RBD is not complete. From this assessment it has to be distinct that the measures that the Member states intend to take and included in their program of measures do not guarantee the effectiveness of these measures as they will be assessed in 2015.

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