1. Water Resource Management in the European Union By: Emily Gove & Ben Kearns Image courtesy of: Emily Gove
2. European Union (E.U.) Established Nov. 1st 1993 by the Treaty of Maastricht International economic & political union of 27 democratic member states committed to regional integration Frontier-free travel and trade, the adoption of the Euro, governed by multiple institutions European Commission European Parliament Council of the E.U. European Court of Justice Committed to solving environmental issues such as acid rain, air & water pollution, and climate change European Environment Agency (EEA) E.U. leaders agreed to reduce GHG emissions by 20% by 2020 Image courtesy of: http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/images/Europe/factfile/EU_map_names_isles.gif
3. Water Resources in the E.U. Relatively abundant water resources across Europe; sufficient to meet demand in most areas Total freshwater resources : 2,270 km3/year Only 13% abstracted Threats include: Overexploitation for energy cooling & industrial sector Increase in severity/frequency of droughts due to climate change Reduced river flows, lowered lake & groundwater levels Saline intrusion from over-pumped coastal aquifers Zell Am See, Austria Image courtesy of: Emily Gove
4. Legislation: Stages of Policy Evolution in the E.U. 1st: 1975-80; Concerned with “environmental quality standards” & “emission limit values” 2nd: 1980-95; Legislation Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (1991) Nitrates Directive (1991) Drinking Water Directive (adopted in 1998) Directive for Integrated Pollution on Prevention Control (adopted 1996) 3rd: 1995-Today Water Framework Directive (adopted in 2000) Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) paradigm Continued analysis of existing legislation Image Courtesy of: http://turkeymacedonia.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/eu_img.jpg
14. Low soil moisture, reduced groundwater levels, drying up of wetlands“Dry days” defined as days with precipitation below 1 mm
15. Availability: River Flow River Flow: measure of the availability of freshwater resources within a basin, determined by precipitation & temperature, and catchment characteristics such as geology, soils and land cover (EEA) Avg. river flow: 450mm/year Seasonal & regional variation
16. International River Basins of Europe Image courtesy of: http://www.wfd-croatia.eu/userfiles/image/photogallery/maps/RB_Europe.png
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18. Predicted fall in winter retention as snow, earlier snowmelt and reduced summer precipitation are expected to reduce river flows in summer, when demand is typically at it’s highest
19. 1.48°C rise in temperature over the last 100 years (twice global average).
21. Abstraction “Abstraction” - refers to the volume of water taken from a natural or modified resource over the calendar year. Strong regional variations Eastern Countries (Electricity) Western Countries (Electricity) Southern Countries (Agriculture) Total freshwater abstraction across E.U. 288 km3/year 500 m3 per capita/year
22. Abstraction: Industry/Energy Production Energy Production accounts for 44% of total freshwater abstracted across the E.U. Very little consumed Most discharged into surface waters at high temperature Obtained via: Public water supply “self” abstraction Fig. 4.1 Large decline in E. Europe Due to decline in water intensive process (mining/steel manufacturing) Highly water intensive operations abstract their own Principal source = surface water Fig. 4.3 Reductions across E.U. Cooling tower use Recirculation methods Reduced intake Increased efficiency Avoid shutdowns Chemicals and petroleum refinement account for ½ the freshwater used by manufacturing industry
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24. Only 20% is consumed and 80% is returned as treated wastewater
48. Does not fully reflect the level of stress on resources of sub-national regions
49. Does not account for seasonal variations in water availability and abstraction
50. Does not account for consumptive use nor water that is returnedImage courtesy of: http://www.wfd-croatia.eu/userfiles/image/photogallery/maps/RB_Europe.png
55. 12 of 19 groundwater bodies (63%) intruded or at riskAnnual Abstractions La Mancha Occidental Aquifer and Water-level Recovery http://www.eea.europa.eu/
56. Conclusions on Future E.U. Water Resource Management Water Pricing Across All Sectors Prudent “water user pays” principal based on volume of water used Drought Management Plans At river basin scaled Shift approach from “crisis response” to “ risk management” Efficiency and Conservation Implementing best technologies and practices Leakage detection efforts Raising Public Awareness Education efforts Concept of “virtual water” within E.U. countries
57. Conclusion Continued… Tackling Illegal Abstraction Major political and technical challenge Severe penalties for non-compliance Alternative Supplies Demand may still exceed availability Supply-side measures and treated wastewater re-use Desalination Preferable since it increases the total available freshwater resource Does not create incentive to reduce water use nor improve use efficiency Information Requirements Reliable, up-to-date information at the appropriate spatial and temporal scales Use both measured and modeled data to explore the impacts of specific water management scenarios
