Water | COGG

How do we best protect our supply of clean water?

Water is one of the most precious resources of them all. The availability of clean drinking water is essential as is the protection of rivers lakes and seas.

In recent times there have been problems of water pollution caused by industry and agriculture. There is also the problem of water scarcity and wastage as well as the risk of flooding. Water habitats for wildlife can also be at risk.

The importance of water in all its forms is recognised and steps have been taken to protect our water supply, to prevent damage and to introduce more sustainable usage.

This includes rules about conservation and quality standards, and taking extra care of our sea, lakes and rivers.

Scarcity

In recent years there have been problems with water scarcity. In general water scarcity is a long-term problem and occurs in areas where there is a general ongoing shortage of water.

In warmer parts of Europe there is an ongoing problem of water shortages, and even in other parts where there is usually enough water there can be occasional droughts.

Sometimes a shortage can be caused by drought but often also as a result of larger populations using more than usual amounts of water. This is why on occasion there is a ban on households using hosepipes to water their gardens for example.

See here for more information about how water is used

Drought

This is usually a temporary situation. Drought occurs when there has been very little rainfall for a long time. It can damage crops and kill livestock, it can even endanger human life.

See here for a link to the European Drought Observatory

If it continues long enough it can lead to desertification of large tracts of land, which may once have been used for producing food. This happens if the land becomes too dry and topsoil is lost, then it may not be possible for the land to recover enough for plants to grow again.

See here for a map of areas in the EU at risk of desertification

In areas where there are serious shortages of drinkable water one solution is the use of desalination plants. These facilities convert salt water into drinking water. However these are controversial as they are expensive to run and are heavy users of energy, so they are not very good for the environment. There is also concentrated saltwater brine discharged at the end of the process as a by-product which also has an impact on the environment.

Flooding

In recent years there have been more frequent and worse flooding than usual. Some of this is due to higher rainfall, but there are other reasons as well. Summers are getting wetter in some parts of Europe and this is badly affecting crops.

Increased rainfall has at times led to severe flooding and flash floods. In August 2004 a surprise flash flood caused serious damage to a little Cornish town called Bocastle.

See here for more

Now that so much more building has taken place, especially as cities and towns expand, there are more areas covered in concrete and fewer areas of open soil which can absorb the water. Flood defences have been built in some cases, however this can have the unintended side effect of simply moving the problem downstream.

See here for more about the impact of floods

Combating flood risks USAR230

All EU countries have to make plans to manage floods and take action to prevent them if possible.

Flood Risk Management Plans

All EU countries have to make plans to manage floods and take action to prevent them if possible. Countries must produce flood risk maps by 2012 and to have Flood Risk Management Plans ready by 2015 to provide protection and be prepared. The public will have access to the information. These rules are in the Floods Directive.

About the EU Floods Directive of 27 Nov 2007

EU Floods Action Programme

This includes prevention and protection. One essential element is to be aware of flood-prone areas and avoid building on them. Flood defences should be built as well as avoiding actions likely to make flooding more likely. Emergency and rescue plans are also to be included as well as preparing people for what to do if there is a flood. Plans should also be in place for recovery after a flood.

About Flood Risk Managment

Conserving Water

Clean drinking water is expensive to produce. It must be collected, stored, cleaned and delivered to users. These costs include filtering and sterilising the water to make it ready for household use as drinking water, the cost of supplying and maintaining water pipes and the cost of running reservoirs. One of the most effective means of conserving valuable clean water is through more efficient usage.

Some solutions to water shortage are very simple. Where water pipes were found to be leaking these are being fixed as a lot of clean water was being lost between the reservoir and households. Households can collect rainwater for use in gardens, or can use recycled or ‘grey water’ from domestic use. Water is used a lot in sanitation and one idea being investigated is to redesign toilets so that they don’t need water (for example the composting toilet).

Water Charges

One way to reduce wastage is to make water more expensive. The idea is that this will encourage more efficient use. Wherever meters and charging have been introduced it has resulted in people being more careful about not wasting water.

One method is the introduction of metering together with water charges. Meters are introduced to measure the amount of water being used by a household or shop or factory for example. Then users then pay according to how much water they use. The idea is that if users want to reduce the expense of their water bill, they will use water more carefully, avoid wastage and use more recycled water. This should encourage better water conservation.

It is now a rule for EU countries to make a charge for water, however the charges must be affordable. These rules are contained in the Water Framework Directive.

See here for more information about water charges

Other ways of being more efficient include a change in people’s behaviour. This might include making sure taps don’t leak or are left dribbling, or having a shower instead of a bath. Some modern showers have showerheads that mix the water with oxygen, which also uses less water or a block could be put in the toilet cistern to reduce the amount of water used in each flush.

Agriculture

Water is essential for agriculture and it takes a third of all water used in the Europe

Where water is in short supply smart irrigation is being introduced to reduce waste. In the warm southern parts of Europe 80% of water used in agriculture is used to provide irrigation. New irrigation techniques ensure the water goes where it is needed and reduces wastage, for example switching from the use of long furrows dug in a field to a drip system where water is delivered right to the roots of each plant by a hose. Farmers are also given training in these new ideas.

The use of recycled grey water for agricultural purposes is also very successful. Wastewater is cleaned before being used. In Gran Canaria 20% of the water used comes from treated wastewater. This means less freshwater has been used and so is available for nature or for drinking water. See here for more about smart irrigation:

Water for agriculture – smart irrigation and using grey water

New drought resistant varieties of crops are being developed or a different variety of seed is chosen. Simply planting crops at a different time of the year can also reduce the amount of water required.

Water pollution

Water is also important for recreation and various sports. Many People in Europe swim in seas and lakes, or use rivers and canals for sport and recreation, so water pollution also prevents people from using these amenities.

Until recently the pollution of rivers and lakes was a particular problem. This was caused by run-offs of chemicals from agricultural use and industrial spills of various kinds of toxic material. This caused serious damage to waterways often leading to a fish kill. Sometimes it would take years for a river or lake to recover; often it required new fish stocks to be artificially introduced.

One of the main causes of this problem was nitrates used in fertiliser washing out of soil and into rivers. Nitrates were used as fertiliser in agriculture but this led to contamination of groundwater and rivers which harmed fish.

The contamination of rivers by nitrates causes a problem called ‘eutrophication’ which is when too much plant nutrient gets into the water system. This causes a surge in the growth of weeds and algae, and when these die and decompose this reduces the amount of oxygen in the water and harms fish.

All of this can damage wildlife, reduce the availability of clean water for people to use and it can also impact on local fishing industries.

Quality controls

Many standards have been introduced to raise the quality of the water we use. These ensure that water is safe and clean. There are rules to keep the standards high for bathing water and drinking water, the treatment of sewage and protection from chemicals, nitrates in particular.

Bathing Water

EU protection of bathing water has been around for a long time. Swimming in the sea and rivers and lakes has been a part of European lifestyles for centuries. These rules ensure that water will be clean wherever people would usually go for a swim both to protect their health and to protect the amenity use of these areas. These areas can be places where by tradition people have always bathed, not just official places.

The first EU Bathing Water Directive was introduced in 1975 but has been updated with a new version in 2006. See here for more about the EU Bathing Water Directive

The Blue Flag

Making sure standards are met is very important. If a beach is clean enough it will be awarded a Blue Flag. This recognition is in demand from places that want to attract tourists by demonstrating that their water and beaches are clean and suitable for swimmers.

Every year the EU reports on the standards of beaches in the EU – See here for the results

And see here for an interactive map of the state of Bathing Waters throughout the EU – (it may be slow to load).

Drinking water

One of the most important activities is making sure water is safe to drink, so there are many safety and quality controls which must be followed. Standards are carefully enforced to protect people using the water. Testing drinking water is also very important. Standards are set about how much solid matter or microbes are allowed. The water must be tested on a regular basis and high standards maintained. If there is any fall in standard then steps must be taken to fix the problem.

See here for more information about drinking water standards

Sewage treatment

One of the most important steps to protecting water is to ensure that no untreated wastewater is allowed to get into the water supply.

Modern wastewater facilities use air filtration systems to treat the waste matter. Sewage is pumped into open aeration tanks where natural processes render it harmless over time. Any sludge that is collected is processed to manufacture manure which can be sold for agricultural use as it has been sterilised in the processing. A well run modern facility should not have bad aromas. By the end of the process only clean water is discharged into the environment. No raw waste is allowed.

The Urban Wastewater Directive 91/272/EEC of 21 May 1991 sets the rules.

See here for a useful diagram of urban waste sources and treatment processes

Nitrates

The Nitrates Directive of 1991 introduced new standards to prevent nitrates from getting into the water system. This included phasing out the use of nitrates in farming and introducing higher standards of manure storage on farms. Fertilisation is banned at certain times of the year, and they are not spread near water or on slopes.

Habitats

Water is also a vital habitat for a wide variety of wildlife. It is estimated that 50% of wetlands are endangered.

Increased CO2 in seas is making them more acidic. Acidification of the seas is also causing problems for organisms which need calcium as part of the life cycle. In particular many sea corals are being affected, with some coral dying. This is important not just because of the loss of the coral reefs but also because they are an important part of the food chain and a habitat for other marine organisms.

The change in temperature of the seas affects the seas as a habitat. For example, some fish species associated with warmer seas are being seen further north than usual.

Protecting Habitats healthy_river_2_cjf_230

Water areas provide many vital habitats for wildlife from wetlands and marshes to rivers and lakes. There are many rules in place to protect various species and to maintain biodiversity. Often these species are endangered in some way and need extra protection if they are to survive.

Wild plants and animals must have their habitats protected and Special Areas of Conservation must be set up. Wild birds have to be protected as well and Special Protection Areas must be set up, in particular in wetlands, Marshes and areas used by migrating birds.

To achieve this the EU has the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive. See here for an interactive map of the EU showing Habitat and Bird Directive Sites

It is not just wild animals that need water protected, there is a large aquaculture industry in the EU as well, using freshwater or coastal areas for fish farming.

See here for details on EU Aquaculture

Seas and Coasts

Coastal areas are also at risk in particular from oil spills. If this happens it can cover the coastline – and everything living on it – with a heavy film of oil. Wetlands, marshes and estuaries are also at risk. Ships at sea sometimes dump their untreated waste into the oceans and this too is a cause of water pollution.

Coastal erosion is a concern in some areas. This can be as a result of the action of waves on a beach or possibly a tidal current moving sand from one point to another over time. Management of water in this case is to protect coastline from the action of water.

See here for more about Coasts and Seas

EMSA_HQ_maritime sweeping_arm_to_collect_oil_spillage

Sweeping arm to collect oil spills

Protecting the Seas, Rivers, Lakes and Groundwater coast_view_230cjf

Plans to protect water in the EU include rules and standards that must be met. These cover the seas, the coastal areas, rivers and lakes and groundwater.

The means to achieve all of these higher standards of water protection in the EU is the Water Framework Directive of 2000. It sets out clear rules and standards for achieving clean unpolluted waterways and covers coasts, rivers, and groundwater. These standards must be achieved by 2015.

See here for the Hydrological cycle

Seas

EU rules set out standards to be achieved by 2020; this is the Marine Directive. There are four European marine regions – the Baltic Sea, the North-east Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea.

See here for a detailed description of these standards

These standards include maintaining biodiversity and the ecosystem, to avoid damaging the seabed, not to cause pollution, and to take care to avoid introducing underwater noise which could upset marine fauna (scare them away from breeding grounds for example). All of these rules are contained in the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

See here for an online map of Europe’s seas by theme The European Atlas of the Seas

Rivers and lakes

The WFD sets out standards to be met for rivers, lakes and coastal areas – river basins and wetlands for example. The idea is to protect water from the beginning of its journey at the source of a river all the way to the end at the sea. Each country must have a plan for this and this is called the River Basin Management plan.

Ground Water

Ground water is also protected with rules about controlling waste materials and not allowing toxic materials to be absorbed by soil as this is the primary source of water in the environment. 75% of citizens of the EU rely on ground water for their supply of drinking water. It is also the source of base flow for rivers – the water that feeds rivers all year round. Risks to ground water come from nitrates run-off, industrial discharge of toxic effluents and leaching of heavy metals from old landfills. Cleaning up damage to ground water can take decades so the emphasis these days is on prevention of pollution.

See here for more about EU plans for managing water