Effective environmental administration - to ensure a sound aquatic environment, Danish Environmental Protection Agency

The Danish model for sustainable water solutions

Effective environmental administration - to ensure a sound aquatic environment

In order to meet national environmental policy and international commitments, Denmark manages environmental issues at three levels: National, regional and local.

Danish assistance:

	Establishment of efficient environmental administration
	River basin and water resource management
	Supervision and monitoring - quality - resource
	Setting water quality objectives
	Action plans - point-source outlet criteria - diffuse pollution sources
	Watercourse restoration and maintenance
	Environmental contingency plans
	Environmental risk assessment
	Environmental impact assessment
	Remedial measures (groundwater)
	Public participation
	Cleaner technology
	Mapping (GIS)
	Training and twinning

To this end Denmark has developed an efficient environmental administration to implement the political decisions made, to prioritize efforts to deal with the consequences of past environmental problems, and to consult the relevant authorities when faced with major accidents threatening the environment.

Solving these tasks necessitates that the administration possesses a high level of professional competence founded on knowledge of the latest research findings. Moreover, the administration must be able to procure and process information on the state of the environment and monitor developmental trends in environmental quality. Finally, the administration must possess good communication skills.

In Denmark, the responsibility for ensuring an adequate water resource of good quality lies with the Counties. The areas where the most important aquifers are located, and which must be effectively protected against contamination - so-called particularly valuable water abstraction areas - are designated in each County's Regional Plan. This also stipulates quality objectives for the biological and chemical quality of the surface waters. These must be adhered to and form the basis of municipal and industrial wastewater treatment requirements.

The Counties are responsible for supervising particularly polluting enterprises and providing advice on the implementation of cleaner technology and environmental management. The Counties are also responsible for identifying contaminated sites (landfills, disused industrial sites, etc.) and prioritizing their remediation.