WATER QUALITY Nitrate and Pesticide pollution IRENA No. 27. 1 and 27 WATER QUALITY Nitrate and Pesticide pollution IRENA No. 27.1 and 27.2 Robert Collins Project Manager Water and Agriculture Group EEA

EIONET-WATER EEA has established, with its Member Countries, a monitoring network; EIONET-Water (formerly WATERBASE). Designed to give a representative assessment of the quality of water bodies across Europe. A representative sub-sample of national monitoring sites in rivers, lakes and groundwater has been selected for the European network.

EIONET-WATER Data are transferred on an annual basis from the countries to the EEA and stored in EIONET-Water. By end of 2006; information (including nutrients and pesticides) held from more than 3,500 river stations in 32 countries, more than 1,500 lake stations, and around 1100 groundwater bodies. Aim to streamline this SOE reporting with that required under legislation; WFD, Nitrates Directive etc.

Nitrate in Rivers and Groundwater

Mean Annual River Nitrate by River Basin District (mg/L of Nitrate N)

Identifying the influence of Agriculture upon Nitrate Water Quality Requires linking observed water quality to… Mineral Fertiliser Consumption (IRENA 5) N balance (IRENA 15) Modelling/Source Apportionment studies

JRC modelling work, FATE project. Diffuse (agricultural) emissions of N across Europe

Pesticides Large spatial and temporal variation in data collected. Generally a lack of data Large increase in data provided in recent years is good, but makes trend analysis difficult. Very large range in pesticides, new ones emerge, others are banned

Pesticides ● Decline in banned pesticides e.g. Atrazine

Pesticides Percentage of monitored groundwater bodies with pesticide concentrations exceeding 0.1 µg/l in 1999, 2002 and 2005

Pesticide Water Quality – Identifying Agricultural Influence Agriculture is not the only source, e.g. domestic use Link to Consumption (IRENA 6) and Risk (IRENA 17) PPP Leaching risk. EuroPEARL Tiktak et al. 2006