Groundwater Directive
| European Union directive | |
 | |
| Title | Groundwater Directive |
|---|---|
| Made by | European Parliament & Council |
| Journal reference | OJ L 372, 27.12.2006, p. 19–31[1] |
| History | |
| Date made | 12 December 2006 |
| Entry into force | 17 January 2007[1] |
| Implementation date | 16 January 2009 |
| Other legislation | |
| Amended by | Directive 2014/80/EU |
| Current legislation | |
The Groundwater Directive (GWD; full title: Directive 2006/118/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006 on the protection of groundwater against pollution and deterioration) is an EU directive establishing specific measures as provided for in the Water Framework Directive in order to prevent and control groundwater pollution.[1]
In 2018, a total of 74% of EU groundwater bodies were assessed to be in "good chemical status". Agriculture has been identified as a major contributor to poor status due to nitrate and pesticide pollution.[2]
Objectives
[edit]The GWD provides the detailed procedures for meeting the WFD's environmental objectives for groundwater quality.[3]
The specific measures include: criteria for the assessment of good groundwater chemical status; and criteria for the identification and reversal of upward trends in the concentration of pollutants.[4]
Member states are required to establish threshold values for all pollutants and pollution indicators. The directive specifies a minimum list of pollutants that must be considered to identify groundwater bodies that are at risk of not meeting good chemical standards as determined by the WFD. Both the list of pollutants and quality standards are to be reviewed every six years.[5]
Quality Standards
[edit]The Water Framework Directive outlines strategies to prevent and control pollution of groundwater. It mandates the adoption of measures with conductivity and pollutant concentration parameters to achieve good groundwater chemical status. In particular, groundwater bodies must not exhibit effects of saline or pose significant damage to ecosystems dependent on the body to be considered "good status".[6]
The Groundwater Directive addresses these quality standards with the following list of pollutants:
| Pollutant | Quality Standards |
|---|---|
| Nitrates | 50 mg/l |
| Active substances in pesticides, including their relevant metabolites, degradation and reaction products | 0.1 μg/l
0.5 μg/l (total) |
The quality standard specifies a total value for the sum of all individual pesticides detected and quantified in the monitoring procedures.[5]
Threshold Values
[edit]Member States are required to establish threshold values for all pollutants and indicators. The threshold values should be based on interactions between groundwater and dependent ecosystems; interference with legitimate uses of groundwater; pollutants that are characterised as risky; hydro-geological characteristics including information on natural background levels and water balance.
A minimum list of pollutants and indicators are specified for which Member States must consider establishing threshold values:[5]
| Description | Pollutants or indicators |
|---|---|
| Substances or ions or indicators which may occur naturally and/or as a result of human activities | Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, Mercury, Ammonium, Chloride, Sulphate, Nitratesa, Phosphorus (total)/Phosphatesa |
| Man-made synthetic substances | Trichloroethylene, Tetrachloroethylene |
| Parameters indicative of saline or other intrusions | Conductivity |
Upward Trends
[edit]Member States are required to identify significant upward trends in groundwater bodies that are at risk in accordance with the WFD. The Groundwater Directive mandates the usage of statistical methods, such as regression analysis, for time series of individual monitoring points.
Measures to reverse upward trends are expected to be implemented once pollutant concentration reaches 75% of the values specified by the GWD's quality standards.[1]
Statistical methods employed by Member States have included ANOVA (sometimes combined with the LOESS method), the non-parametric Mann-Kendall test, Seasonal Kendall and Regional Kendall tests.[7]
Note
[edit]- ^a These pollutants were inserted in the Commission Directive 2014/80/EU of 20 June 2014
See also
[edit]- Water Framework Directive
- European Union Law
- European Green Deal
- Water pollution
- Freshwater environmental quality parameters
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Directive 2006/118/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006 on the protection of groundwater against pollution and deterioration, 27 December 2006, retrieved 2024-12-15
- ^ "European Environment Agency, Zal, N., Whalley, C., Christiansen, T., Kristensen, P. et al., European waters – Assessment of status and pressures 2018, Publications Office, 2018". Publications Office of the European Union. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
- ^ European Commission: Energy, Climate change, Environment, retrieved 2024-12-15
- ^ National Library of Medicine: Groundwater quality trend and trend reversal assessment in the European Water Framework Directive context: an example with nitrates in Italy, retrieved 2024-12-15
- ^ a b c "Consolidated text: Directive 2006/118/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006 on the protection of groundwater against pollution and deterioration". 11 July 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy, 2014-11-20, retrieved 2024-12-16
- ^ "Gourcy L., Lopez B. et al. (2019). Common implementation strategy for the Water Framework Directive and the Floods Directive. Technical report on groundwater quality trend and trend reversal assessment. Procedures applied by Member States for the first RBMP cycle, January 2019". January 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2024.