The European Commission has published its three-yearly Environmental Implementation Review, which takes stock of each Member State’s performance in implementing environmental legislation, with specific attention to water quality and management.
The Commission confirms that water quality, including the quality of drinking water sources, is under pressure in the Netherlands. Vewin supports the Commission’s call to tackle pollution at the source, with priority given to nutrients and chemical substances.
Surface water quality lags behind
The evaluation makes clear that the Netherlands is not sufficiently on track to achieve the objectives of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). Only a very small percentage of Dutch surface waters meet the ecological and chemical requirements. According to the Commission, this is due in part to the environmental effects of intensive livestock farming, a lack of organic farming, and incomplete implementation of the Nitrates Directive. This has direct consequences for the quality of drinking water sources.
Compared with surface water, the situation for groundwater is somewhat better. This is partly because groundwater is better protected and less vulnerable to deposition of air pollutants. The problems in both surface water and groundwater are mainly caused by a limited group of pollutants, almost all related to agriculture: nitrate, pesticides, chloride, and phosphorus.
Call to tackle pollution at the source
The European Commission’s findings underline the importance of a targeted approach to tackling pollution at the source. It is necessary to strengthen national generic policy (including the 8th Nitrates Action Programme) in order to achieve the objectives for drinking water sources (both groundwater and surface water) on time. In addition, the approval of substances such as pesticides must be better aligned with WFD standards.