Over two-thirds of Europe's lakes and rivers exceed chemical pollution limit

Only 37% of Europe’s lakes and rivers meet the criteria for good ecological status and over two-thirds are affected by excessive levels of chemical pollutants, the European Environment Agency (EEA) warns in a report published today.

Moreover, nearly a quarter of groundwater, which supplies two-thirds of Europe’s drinking water, failed to reach the legal threshold for good chemical status, with nitrates and pesticides from agriculture responsible for significant pollution.

The EEA concluded that Europe is facing “serious challenges to water security” – a warning that comes eight months after the European Commission shelved a planned water resilience initiative intended to tackle the increasing water stress that the EU environment watchdog says now affects 20% of EU territory and 30% of its population.

“While these stats are alarming, they're not even giving the full picture as it's only assessed against a limited and outdated list of pollutants,” said Sara Johansson, a specialist in water pollution prevention at the European Environmental Bureau.

Under the EU’s Water Framework Directive (WFD), governments are required to ensure – besides some exceptions under extenuating circumstances – that all surface and groundwater achieve good status with regards both chemical pollution and ecosystem health by 2027.

Today’s report follows an equally dire assessment of water quality the EEA published in 2019, and suggests that little progress has been made despite the looming deadline. Green groups have reacted by redoubling a call for the EU executive to ensure that existing legislation is enforced, including new requirements in the Nature Restoration Law.

“Restoring at least 25,000 km of rivers to their free-flowing state is not just an