Waters in Germany: Status and Assessment

Klares Wasser fließt durch zwei Hände.Click to enlarge
The results of the assessment clarify the still open problems in water protection.
Source: Ramona Heim / Fotolia.com

Since 2016, there are new legal requirements for the assessment for nutrients and substances of the waters in Germany. New assessment procedures for hydromorphology were developed. These assessment instruments and the results of the application are described in the brochure "Waters in Germany: Status and Assessment".

The results of the assessment clarify the still open problems in water protection:

  • high nutrient loads of groundwater, rivers, lakes, coastal and marine waters,
  • pollutions of persistent chemicals, metals, pesticides and pharmaceuticals,
  • hydromorphological changes especially in rivers,
  • pollution of the seas with litter and noise. 

The long time series of data for nitrate and phosphorus document the development of the nutrient load of groundwater, rivers, lakes and the North Sea and Baltic Sea. The first data for exposure to marine litter and underwater noise in the sea are considered sufficiently worrying.

 

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