Percentage of monitoring stations with satisfacoty bathing water quality(1980-93)
Percentage of monitoring stations with satisfacoty bathing water quality(1980-93)
In Denmark the discharge to groundwater of both list I and list II substances is prohibited9. In addition, town and country planning is employed as a means of protecting and sharing the groundwater resources in an appropriate manner.
Areas where the groundwater is to be accorded special protection are identified in each County Regional Plan. The consequence could be that a new industrial district cannot be established in the location of choice. In certain areas vulnerable to nitrate contamination attempts are now being made to persuade farmers to utilize less fertilizer by awarding them subsidies in return.
The Regional Plans also stipulate guidelines for sharing the groundwater. In most areas there is sufficient water to meet all needs, i.e. drinking water for consumers, water for watercourses, water for industry and water for field sprinkling. However, in certain areas of Zealand where the water resource is insufficient, priority is given to drinking water for consumers.
Actual conditions in Denmark are such that the nitrate content of the groundwater is increasing in the upper aquifers. In the most vulnerable agricultural catchments in Jutland the average nitrate content has increased from 22 mg N/l in 1980 to 30 mg N/l in 199310. In addition, part of the groundwater is unsuitable as drinking water because levels of pesticide residues are too high; so far this involves 3% of the abstraction wells at which analysis has been undertaken. A further problem is that considerable water resources are being ruined, or are about to be ruined, by a number of contaminated sites in and around the old industrial towns.
Town and country planning should prevent new damage of this type.
However, it is too early to tell whether this has been successful as it often takes 30-40
years for precipitation to percolate down to the aquifers.
