Just a little more than one-third of Europe’s surface water is in “good” health or better, a new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) has found. The report also said the majority of protected aquatic species and habitats have either a “poor” or “bad” conservation status.
The data was collected from 19 EU member countries.
According to the report, only about 37% of the surface water analyzed in 2021 was identified as having “good” quality or better, and only 29% had at least a good chemical status.
A major contributing factor to poor chemical status was long-lived pollutants, like mercury or “brominated flame retardants.” If these were not a factor, the study says, 80% of the surface water would be in good health or better.
Another major factor is ongoing atmospheric pollution, largely coming from coal plants and diffuse pollution from agriculture.
Groundwater, on the other hand, which supports local ecosystems and supplies two-thirds of the continent’s drinking water, …