Mitigation Options for Nutrient Reduction in Surface Water and Groundwaters at River Basin Scale in

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Mitigation Options for Nutrient Reduction in
Surface Water and Groundwaters at River Basin
Scale in order to Reach Targets of the Water
Framework DirectiveCOST action 869

• Wim Chardon (NL), Oscar Schoumans (NL),
• Louise Heathwaite (UK),
• Brian Kronvang (Dk), Seppo Rekolainen (Fi)

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Content

• Introduction / background information
• EC Directives, Conventions, River Commissions
• Objectives of the Water Framework Directive
• Eutrophication status of surface waters
• Needs of end users
• European Research Networks
• 2. Proposed COST action
• Objectives
• Work packages
• Management organisation
• Dissemination

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Introduction

• EUROPEAN DIRECTIVES (impact of nutrient
  emissions)
• Water Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC)
• Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC)
• Groundwater Directive (80/68/EEC)
• Waste framework (75/442/EEC amended by
  91/156/EEC)
• Dangerous substances (76/464/EEC)
• Soil Soil quality / Soil Framework Directive
  (next year ? implementation 2007/2008)?
• Air No overall Directive
• National Emissions Ceilings directive
  (2001/81/EC)
• IPPC directive (96/61/EC)
• Target to reduce ammonia emissions from
  agriculture (93 EU total)
• Air quality (1999/30/EC).
• Nature No overall Directive
• Conservation of wild birds (79/409/EEC).
• Conservation of Natural Habitats (92/43/EEC)

MARINE CONVENTIONS (OSPAR, HELCOM,
Barcelona) TRANSBOUNDARY RIVER COMMISSIONS (e.g.
Rhine and Danube)
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Introduction

• Objectives of the WFD
• To establish a framework for the protection of
  inland surface
• waters, transitional waters, coastal waters and
  groundwater
• 1. Prevent further deterioration and protects and
  enhances the status of aquatic ecosystems
• 2. Promotes sustainable water use based on
  long-term protection of available water resources
• 3. Ensures the reduction of pollution of
  groundwater and surface waters
• 4. Contributes to mitigating the effects of
  floods and droughts
• 5. Provision of sufficient supply of good quality
  of water
• In general Protection and improvement of the
  quality of water

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Introduction
WFD River Basin Planning Requirements
Period 2006 2011 is a crucial period for
implementing mitigation options. So, the time is
right (2006-2010)
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Introduction

• Eutrophication status of surface waters

Sectorial contribution to N and P loads in the
Baltic Sea and North Sea
Source European Environment Agency, 2003
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Introduction

• Eutrophication status of surface waters

Percentage of rivers classified as less than good
in different European countries
Source European Environment Agency, 2003
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Introduction
9
Introduction
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Needs of end users
Introduction
DG Environment, unit agriculture

• to support load partitioning assessments
• to help identify risk areas (e.g. phosphorus
  vulnerable zones))
• to predict trends in water quality
• to develop Action Programmes / RBMP
• to evaluate the effectiveness of mitigation
  options
• (including interaction between P and N)
• to evaluate actions needed to achieve Directive
  objectives
• Relevant for
• Policy makers / RB managers / catchments officers
  / community groups

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Introduction

• European Research Networks
• COST 623 Soil Erosion and Global Change
  (1998-2003)
• COST 634 On- and Off-site Environmental impacts
  of runoff and erosion (2003-2008)
• COST 856 Denitrification in agriculture, air and
  water pollution (2002-2007)
• COST 832 Quantifying the Agricultural
  Contribution to Eutrophication (1997-2003)
• International Phosphorus Workgroup (about 20
  EC-countries
• Australia, New Zealand, USA)
• Wexford, 1995
• Antrim, 1997
• Plymouth, 2001
• Wageningen, 2004
• Silkeborg, 2007

Outcome of IPW4 in Wageningen Urgent need of a
new cost action Focus on mitigation options in
relation to sources and pathways of the
eutrophication of surface waters
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Content
v

• Introduction / background information
• EC Directives, Conventions, River Commissions
• Objectives of the Water Framework Directivev
• Eutrophication status of surface waters
• Needs of end users
• European Research Networks
• 2. Proposed COST action
• Objectives
• Work packages
• Management organisation
• Dissemination

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Proposed Cost Action

• What have we learnt so far?
• Wide range of situations
• High variability due to differences in climate,
  landscape, land use, land management, and
  socio-economic and political factors
• Importance of scale with respect to sources,
  pathways and processes (in and over land) and
  scale issues in socio-economic drivers
• Contribution of agricultural to the
  eutrophication of surface waters is, therefore,
  complex to explain and difficult to manage
• Focus was on local scale (field scale) mainly
  dealing with surface runoff pathways.
• Need for appropriate and cost-effective
  mitigation options at different scales (local
  regional river basin)
• So, we have to bring different disciplines
  together

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Proposed Cost Action

• Main objectives
• To evaluate options for reducing nutrient loss to
  surface waters at river basin scale
• To derive information on the optimal combinations
  of mitigation options in terms of applicability
  and cost effectiveness

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Proposed Cost Action

• Planned working groups
• WG1 Localisation of critical source areas at
  different scales
• WG2 Influence of nutrients on ecological
  processes in surface waters
• WG3 Evaluation of (potential) mitigation options
  at different scales
• WG4 Evaluation of projects in example areas
  across the EU

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Proposed Cost Action

• WG1 Localisation of critical source areas (CSA)
• Space To develop methodologies for localising
  critical source areas and hydrological transport
  routes within a river basin
• Time To study the temporal dynamics of nutrient
  losses and scope for reducing nutrient losses
  (including the interactions between nutrients)

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The Phosphorus Export Risk Matrix
www.lec.lancs.ac.uk/cswm
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The Phosphorus Export Risk Matrix
Groundwater examples
medium high risk groundwater scenario
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The Phosphorus Export Risk Matrix
Groundwater examples
low - medium risk groundwater scenario
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Proposed Cost Action

• WG2 Influence of nutrients in surface water
  systems
• To study the influence of nutrients on ecological
  processes in surface waters within river basins
  (at different scales)
• To study the influence of ecology on the choice
  of mitigation options

Source Foy et al., 2004
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Proposed Cost Action

• WG3 Evaluation of (potential) mitigation options
  at different scales
• To identify areas where mitigation actions are
  most likely to be effective from an economical,
  environmental and social perspective

Source Annett et al., 2004
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Proposed Cost Action

• WG4 Evaluation of projects in example areas
  across the EU
• To study example areas within Europe, where
  mitigation can be tested and the effectiveness
  may be monitored
• To evaluate existing or finished projects on
  mitigation, what did work, and what did not, what
  could be improved

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Proposed Cost Action
Participating countries (n26 status July 2005)
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Proposed Cost Action(tentative timetable)
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Management organisation
Proposed Cost Action
MC Committee Chair Vice-chair Country
representatives
Steering CommitteeChair Vice-chair WGs
coordinators end-user representative
WG1Critical SourceArea
WG3Mitigation Options
WG4Effectiveness River Basins
WG2EcologicalAspects
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Proposed Cost Action

• Dissemination
• Website containing results of the
  cost-effectiveness of mitigation options at
  different scales
• Set up a cross disciplinary network of
  researchers dealing with the WFD with respect to
  nutrients
• Contribution to a special issue based on outcome
  of COST 832 and IPW
• Contribution to the next IPW meeting in 2007 (Dk)
  and 2010
• Small groups of end users will be invited to COST
  workshops
• Set up advisory packages / look up tables /
  guidance notes for end users
• Scientific papers or a special issue of an
  international journal by the end of the COST
  action

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Content
v

• Introduction / background information
• EC Directives, Conventions, River Commissions
• Objectives of the Water Framework Directivev
• Eutrophication status of surface waters
• Needs of end users
• European Research Networks
• 2. Proposed COST action
• Objectives
• Work packages
• Management organisation
• Dissemination

v
Thank you for your attention
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Questions?
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Questions?
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Questions?
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Questions?
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Proposed Cost Action
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Introduction

• WFD Why?
• Source EC
• Less than 1 of planets water is available for
  human consumption
• 20 of all surface waters is seriously threatened
  with pollution (EU)
• groundwater supplies around 65 of all Europeans
  drinking water
• 60 of European cities overexploit their
  groundwater resources
• 50 of wetlands have endangered status due to
  ground water over-exploitation
• The area of irrigated land in Southern Europe has
  increased by 20 since 1985

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Phosphorus Fluxes in UK Agriculture
Inputs
Outputs
57 000
234 000 tonnes
tonnes
Milk
Fertilizer
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74
Meat
56
Grain
19
Feed
20
Sewage
Atmosphere
sludge
3
3
P surplus 177 000 tonnes (c. 10 kg ha-1 a-1)
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Proposed Cost Action

• WG3 Evaluation of (potential) mitigation options
  at different scales
• To identify areas where mitigation actions are
  most likely to be effective from an
  cost/economical, environmental and social
  perspective

Source Annett et al., 2004
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Proposed Cost Action

• WG3 Evaluation of (potential) mitigation options
  at different scales
• To identify areas where mitigation actions are
  most likely to be effective from an
  cost/economical, environmental and social
  perspective

Source Annett et al., 2004
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Delineation of Critical Landscape Zones
Critical Source Area (CSA)
Watertable
Variable Source Area
Drained Watertable
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Proposed Cost Action

• WG3 Evaluation of (potential) mitigation options
  at different scales
• To identify areas where mitigation actions are
  most likely to be effective from an economical,
  environmental and social perspective

Source Annett et al., 2004