The Aquatic Environment in Denmark 1996-1997

1. Introduction

Oxygen depletion and dead fjords, algae soup in the lakes and dried-out watercourses, as well as nitrate and insecticide loading of watercourses and drinking water. There are many examples of problems in the Danish aquatic environment. The Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment is part of the efforts made to secure clean water in the future.

1.1 Targets and tools of the Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment

The creation and objects of the Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment

In 1987, the Folketing passed the "Action Plan against Pollution with Nutrients of the Danish Aquatic Environment", popularly known as the Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment. Its objective is to reduce the total loading of the aquatic environment by nitrogen and phosphorus from agriculture, municipal sewage treatment plants and individual industrial loads from a level of 290,000 tonnes of nitrogen and 15,000 tonnes of phosphorus when the plan was passed, to 145,000 tonnes and 3,000 tonnes, respectively. This is the equivalent of 50% and 80% reductions, respectively.

The means of the Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment

The means of achieving the agreed reduction objectives included mandatory purification of waste water, storage and spreading of domestic animal manure etc. In addition to these requirements, the Plan contains declarations on a general reduction of the loading by freshwater and salt-water fish farms, as well as the limitation of nitrogen emissions into the atmosphere. The Plan is based on an expansion of sewage treatment plants, and on efforts to ensure that the agricultural sector reduces the loss of nutrients to the aquatic environment, on a voluntary basis and by means of good farming practice. Despite the fact that the sewage treatment plants have since then been expanded as prescribed, and though the agricultural sector generally speaking lives up to the binding demands, it has not been possible to meet the reduction objectives of the Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment.

1.2 The elements of the monitoring programme

Purpose

The overriding purpose of the monitoring programme is to prove the effects of the regulations and investments which are the consequence of the measures specified in the report on the Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment. The nutrient loading from various sources of ground water, watercourses, lakes, and marine waters are established through systematic collection of data, and the water quality and its development are assessed in the various phases of the water cycle. The monitoring programme will of course also contribute to improving and proving the effects of additional measures to improve the aquatic environment, including the meeting of objectives in the counties' plans for the wetland areas. The monitoring programme was launched in 1989. The contents of the programme for 1989-1992 are described in the Environmental Project No. 115 (The Danish EPA, 1989). The contents of the current programme which covers the years from 1993 to 1997 are described in the Danish EPA’s Report No. 1, 1993. The monitoring programme supplements the counties' supervision, and data from this supervision will be collected and used in connection with the annual reports.

Ground water

The environmental conditions of the ground water were the theme of the monitoring programme report of 1995. The purpose of ground water monitoring is i) to monitor the development of the quality and utilisation of ground water resources, ii) to study the ground water contents of nutrients and other substances, natural as well as those originating from the pollution of various types of aquifers; iii) to monitor the development of the ground water quality from near-surface and deeper lying aquifers, partly over time and partly as a result of man-made intervention in the form of pollution and water extraction, and thus to contribute to securing ground water in quantities and of a quality suitable for the production on drinking water and at all times to meet all quality requirements.

Watercourses and springs

Monitoring of watercourses and springs primarily aims at following the development of nutrient transportation and ecological conditions in Danish watercourses, as well as following effects of changes in the nutrient load. It also aims at learning more about the water quality of watercourses, while at the same time establishing the quantities of nitrogen, phosphorus and organic matter which are passed into Danish waters via watercourses.

Lakes

The monitoring programme includes studies of a total of 37 lakes which are representative of the country as a whole with regard to environmental conditions and type of lake. The purpose of lake monitoring is to assess the nutrient loads and environmental conditions of the lakes, to monitor developments and to increase our knowledge of the reaction of the lakes to changes in the nutrient loads.

The marine environment

The purpose of monitoring Danish marine waters is to follow trends in their physical, chemical and biological state and to achieve greater knowledge of the degree and ways in which this state is influenced by the nutrient load, and the way in which conditions develop as a result of changes in the nutrient load.

Point sources

The purpose of the point source monitoring programme is to establish the discharge of nutrients to the aquatic environment, in volume as well as concentration. The monitoring programme of the Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment includes the following main areas: municipal sewage treatment plants, individual industrial discharges, sparsely populated areas, storm water outfalls and freshwater, marine and terrestrial salt-water fish farms. Discharges from point sources provided the theme of the 1994 reports.

Land monitoring

The purpose of land monitoring is to study the development of the agricultural sector’s contribution to water pollution, including the correlation between operational methods in the agricultural sector and the loss of nutrients to the surroundings, as well as to study the reduction of the quantities of nutrients in the water from the time it leaves the root zone and until it reaches the watercourses.

Deposits from the atmosphere

Atmosphere monitoring is carried out in order to determine the atmospheric input and its regional variations, as well as to monitor the development of the atmospheric nitrogen input.

1.3  Water and weather in 1996

The water cycle

Water is always on the move between various bodies of water in a complex transportation system. The three major Danish bodies of water are the atmosphere, land (watercourses, lakes and ground water) and the sea. Water transportation to and from the atmosphere is in the form of evaporation and precipitation. Frequently, the volume of evaporation and precipitation to and from the individual bodies of water is large. The volume of evaporation from the sea, for instance, is larger than the precipitation. The opposite is the case with evaporation from land areas which is normally less than the precipitation. The excess water from this percolates down to the ground water, or runs off to lakes and to the sea via watercourses. Run-off from land areas leaches out minerals and nutritive salts from the soil and carries them to the aquatic environment. The run-off contribution of nutritive salts to the aquatic environment is in direct relation to the flow of the watercourses and, consequently, with the amount of precipitation.

The weather's influence on the aquatic environment

The weather's influence on the aquatic environment depends on a complex interplay between many meteorological factors such as precipitation, temperature and wind, as well as the existing state of the aquatic environment. Large amounts of precipitation followed by a period of warm and calm weather, for instance, will produce considerable oxygen depletion problems in lakes and the sea in the autumn. Clearly, good knowledge of weather conditions is necessary for the understanding and interpretation of the results of the monitoring programme.

Precipitation

The year 1996 was dry, with a precipitation expressed as an annual average of 505 mm which is 207 mm below the mean average for the period of 1961-90 and the lowest in the 7 years monitored (Windolf et al., 1997). The first half of the year 1996 in particular was extremely dry.

Run-off

The run-off to watercourses in 1996 was 190 mm or 8,200 mill. m³ which corresponds to 58% of the normal run-off.. The reason for the small run-off was the low volume of precipitation. Like the precipitation, the amount of run-off was the lowest of the monitoring period. In comparison, the 1994 run-off - the largest ever registered - was measured as 455 mm or 19,588 mill. m^3.

Air temperature and solar radiation

The annual mean temperature in 1996 was 6.8 °C or somewhat lower than for the 19671-1990 period when it was 7.7 °C. In 1996, Denmark had 1,700 hours of sunshine. Apart from 1993, this was the lowest number over the seven years of monitoring.

1.4  Status and conclusions

In 1987, the Folketing passed the "Action Plan against Pollution with Nutrients of the Danish Aquatic Environment", popularly known as the Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment. Its object is to reduce the total loading of the aquatic environment with nitrogen and phosphorus from agriculture, municipal sewage treatment plants and individual industrial discharges from a level of 290,000 tonnes of nitrogen and 15,000 tonnes of phosphorus when the plan was passed, to 145,000 tonnes and 3,000 tonnes, respectively. This is the equivalent of 50% and 80% reductions, respectively.

The monitoring programme of the Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment

When the Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment was passed, it entailed the establishment of a monitoring programme covering the country as a whole. The overriding purpose of this is to establish the effects of the regulations and investments which were the consequences of the measures appearing from the reports on the Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment. The nutrient loads from various sources to the ground water, watercourses, lakes and open marine waters are established through systematic collection of data, and the water quality and its development is assessed in the various phases of the water cycle. Of course the monitoring programme will also be a valuable means of proving the effects of additional measures to improve the aquatic environment, including the attainment of objectives in the counties' plans for the wetland areas.

The environmental conditions in Danish lakes must be described as unsatisfactory, being in general heavily polluted with nutrients. However, there is a small improvement in about half of the monitored lakes thanks to a reduction of phosphorus discharge from waste water.

Loading of lakes

The open land is the largest source of nutrient loading of Danish lakes. Open land accounted for an average of 57% of the Tot-Nutrient input and 73% of the Tot-Nitrogen input in monitored lakes during 1992-1996.
Discharge of phosphorus via waste water in 1992-1996 accounted for only about 10% of the Tot-Phosphorus load. Previously, waste water loading from towns and industry was more significant.

Phosphorus

Generally speaking, phosphorous input to the monitored lakes remained unchanged during the period from 1989-1996. However, there was a drop in the phosphorus input to the most heavily loaded lakes from 8-10 tonnes a year until 1991, to 2-4 tonnes after that, but the total input is still high.

The trend in environmental conditions from 1989 to 1996

Secchi depth

In 1996, Secchi depths in the monitored lakes, expressed as a summer median, was 1.5 metre.

It was less than 1 metre in 52% of the lakes investigated under regional supervision. Low Secchi depths must be considered unsatisfactory.

Small improvement in Secchi depths in lakes

Nevertheless, there is a very small improvement in the Secchi depths of the lakes since 1989, concurrent with a drop in the chlorophyll-a content in the lake water.

There is no change in the occurrence and distribution of zooplankton and subsurface weeds.

Objectives for lakes

34% of target achievement

The targets were met for no more than 34% of the lakes for which objectives have been set.

Ground water

No effect on the ground water of the Action Plan

Generally speaking, no effect on the nitrate content of the ground water as a result of the Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment has been established. In certain areas and in Jutland in particular, nitrate in the ground water remains a significant threat to the future drinking water supply.

Pesticides found

During the period from 1990-1996, pesticides are found in 13% of the investigated filters under the ground water monitoring programme. Of these, 4% exceeded the drinking water threshold value.

In connection with the waterworks' borehole checks in 1992-1996, pesticides were found in approx. 12% of the investigated drillings, in approx. 5% exceeding the drinking water threshold value.

Extended pesticide investigations

A number of counties and waterworks have carried out analyses for a number of pesticides and decomposition products in addition to the 8 analysed so far. The results show that the number of pesticides found in the ground water increases with the number of substances analysed.

Monitoring of additional pesticides

With effect from 1998, the ground water monitoring programme will be extended to include a further considerable number of pesticides and decomposition products. The Environmental Agency's guidelines for the drilling control of waterworks recommend an extended analytic programme for organic micropollutants.

Other analysis parameters

Pollution of ground water by other micropollutants than pesticides is caused by leaching from refuse dumps in particular. As far as non-organic trace elements are concerned, it is aluminium, nickel, and zinc in particular which have been found in ground water in concentrations exceeding the maximum permitted.

Marine areas

In 1996, very low nitrogen loads were found in all Danish marine waters, and in the East Jutland fjords, the Isefjord, and the Sound the load was the lowest registered in the period for which overall loads are available. The low nitrogen load is due to low run-off. Precipitation over North-Western Europe was very low during the winter of 1995-1996 and as the volume of freshwater run-off is primarily dependent on the precipitation, run-off was very low. The trend in the loading of Danish marine waters is shown in Table 1.1.

Changes in the calculated input of nitrogen (Tot N) and Phosphorus (Tot P) from direct point source discharges, watercourses, and the atmosphere to Danish marine waters.

Nutrient salts

In the winter months of 1996, low nitrogen concentrations were registered in almost all Danish marine waters. Phosphorus concentrations, too, were low in 1996 - generally speaking on the same level as or slightly below those of recent years. As a long-term trend, there is a marked reduction of phosphorus concentrations.

Plankton algae

In many areas, the phytoplankton biomass, chlorophyll concentration and primary production were markedly lower than in the previous years. The period during which the phytoplankton might have been restricted by nutrient salt seems to have been longer than in previous years, and the frequency of mass efflorescence of plankton algae was also significantly lower.

In keeping with the lower phytoplankton biomass a considerable increase in the Secchi depth was registered in almost all areas.

Oxygen conditions

In 1996, the oxygen conditions were considerably better than previously, and in areas of oxygen depletion, such as the Limfjorden, areal extension and length of occurrence were limited. In addition, oxygen depletion in general started later.

Vegetation

The macrophyte vegetation which, like the benthic vegetation, must be expected to respond more slowly to improvements in its environmental conditions such as a greater Secchi depth, is reported to have improved in some areas. In a few places, the depth limit for macro vegetation has increased.

Trends

However, seen in a wider perspective, the environmental conditions of Danish waters have not improved significantly since the Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment was passed. The basis for the occurrence of considerable oxygen depletion in summer and autumn is still present in a number of areas, in the form of relatively high nitrogen concentrations in the run-off from the open land. It is only a question of meteorological conditions before oxygen depletion will develop.

Trends in nutrient discharges

The aquatic environment receives nutrients from a large number of different sources. The most important inputs in relation to the environmental problems with Danish ground water and surface water are diffuse inputs from cultivated areas and from atmospheric depositions, as well as discharge from point sources.

Cultivated areas

When the Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment was passed in 1987, the Tot-Nitrogen discharge from agriculture was estimated to be 260,000 tonnes. The reduction requirement was specified as 127,000 tonnes, or 49%. It was anticipated that the field contribution (leaching from the root zone) would be reduced by 100,000 tonnes, the remainder of the reduction coming from farmyard leaching. Changes in the nitrogen load since the mid-80s are shown in table 1.2.

It follows that the reduction targets for nitrogen leaching from agriculture had not been reached.

At the same time it may be concluded that all central measures to reduce leaching of nitrogen from agriculture had been completed. In spite of this, only a limited reduction of the field contribution had been achieved. Consequently, no significant further reduction is to be expected from the regulations in force.

Model calculations based on measurements in specific monitored catchment areas have shown a calculated 17% drop in the leaching of nitrogen from the root zone since the Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment was launched. Further calculations indicate that the reduction may rise to 32%, if the full potential of all reduction measures is utilised.

The aquatic environment also receives nutrients via the atmosphere. Since the amount of input depends on the size of the aquatic area, atmospheric input is particularly important in marine areas.

The calculated deposition from the atmosphere to the sea in the period from 1989 to 1996 is shown in table 1.3.

Table 1.3
Calculated atmospheric nitrogen deposition to Danish waters

The values indicated in the table result from a number of model calculations based on a number of measurements. However, since the calculations are rather uncertain, and the measurements vary greatly from year to year, it cannot be stated categorically that there has been a clear development since 1989.

The annual atmospheric input of phosphorus to the inner Danish waters is estimated to be approx. 280 tonnes. This is a relatively small amount in comparison with the input of phosphorus from point sources and watercourses. Phosphorus deposition is mainly due to natural factors.

Point sources

In this connection point sources are municipal sewage treatment plants and individual discharges from industry, both of which have concrete reduction targets, storm water outfalls, discharges from sparsely populated area, and freshwater, marine and terrestrial salt-water fish farms.

When the Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment was passed in 1987, discharges from municipal sewage treatment plants were an estimated 25,000 tonnes of nitrogen and 7,200 tonnes of phosphorus a year. The Plan aimed at reducing discharges of nitrogen by 60% and of phosphorus by 72%.

In 1990, when the first results of the monitoring programme of the Plan were available, it was realised that the 1987 discharge level had been overestimated. Consequently, the starting points were fixed at 18,000 tonnes of nitrogen and 4,470 tonnes of phosphorus. The percentage reductions were maintained which meant that the targets were now 6,000 tonnes of nitrogen and 1,220 tonnes of phosphorus a year. Table 1.4 shows the reductions in discharges from municipal sewage treatment plants from 1989 to 1996.

Discharges of nitrogen and phosphorus have now been reduced by approx. 65% and 80%, respectively, and the reduction objectives of the Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment have been reached as far as sewage treatment plants are concerned.

Individual industrial discharges

In 1987, discharges from individual industries were an estimated 5,000 tonnes of nitrogen and 3,400 tonnes of phosphorus a year. In the Plan it was decided that discharges from individual industries were to be reduced by 3,000 tonnes of nitrogen and 2,800 tonnes of phosphorus a year, or 60% and 82%, respectively. Consequently, the targets were to come down to annual discharges of 2,000 tonnes of nitrogen and 600 tonnes of phosphorus. Table 1.5 shows the reductions in discharges from individual industries from 1989 to 1996,

This corresponds to reductions of nitrogen and phosphorus by 65% and 97%, respectively, as compared with the level when the Plan was launched. Targets for both nitrogen and phosphorus have thus been reached.

Storm water outfalls

Table 1.6 shows the reductions in discharges from storm water outfalls from 1989 to 1996.

Table 1.6
Changes in discharges from storm water outfalls 1989- 1996.

Calculations of discharges are extremely uncertain, particularly as far as the early years are concerned. The main fluctuations in discharges are mainly caused by changes in the annual amount of precipitation.

Sparsely populated areas

Table 1.7 shows the reductions in discharges from sparsely populated areas from 1989 to 1996

The load variations reflect changes and improvements of calculation methods during the period concerned.

Fish farms

Table 1.8 shows the reductions in discharges from fish farms from 1989 to 1996.

Discharges of nitrogen have been reduced by approx. 45% and those of phosphorus by approx. 60%. The Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment did not set concrete reduction targets for freshwater fish farm discharges.

Since 1989 when the Statutory Order on Fish Farms came into force and in the years up to 1993, total discharges have dropped considerably. Since 1993, total discharges have been stable and further reductions as a consequence of the Order are unlikely.

Salt-water fish farms

Production of fish in marine and terrestrial salt-water fish farms inflicts nutrient losses on the aquatic environment. This was calculated as 332 tonnes of nitrogen and 354 tonnes of phosphorus in 1996. The loss of organic matter through the operation of marine fish farms is estimated to be approx. 1,332 tonnes.

Table 1.9
Calculated input of nitrogen (Tot-N), phosphorus (Tot-P) and organic matter (BOD5) from marine and terrestrial salt-water fish farms 1989-1996

1: Data from salt-water fish farms were not included until 1992.
2: Includes discharges from marine fish farms and from terrestrial salt-water fish farms.

After a drop during the period from 1989 to 1993, the annual input of nutrients from saltwater fish farms is now presumed to be stable at a level about 350 tonnes of nitrogen and just under 40 tonnes of phosphorus.

Perspectives

A number of factors are expected to influence developments in the different areas during the coming years.

Watercourses

If the objectives for watercourses are to be met, efforts during the coming years should focus more on the improvement of physical conditions. Effect studies of watercourse restorations and of environmentally friendly maintenance show that these can result in a general improvement of the watercourse quality. It is, however, still important also to reduce waste water discharges.

The Amendment to the Act governing waste water purification in the open country in 1997 forms the basis of a solution to the problems of discharging waste water in the open country so that the targets may be reached during the coming years, for smaller watercourses in particular.

A combination of changes in farming methods within certain areas and the re-establishment of water meadows capable converting large amounts of nitrogen, would probably further reduce the nitrogen loading of watercourses.

Lakes

Previous and present inputs of nutrients from, among other sources, the open country are the main reason why the environmental conditions of many Danish lakes are still unsatisfactory and have not yet reached the objectives set.

Thus, if the objectives are to be met in future, it is necessary to uphold the target reductions from point sources and at the same time to increase efforts to counteract discharges from the open country. If the input of phosphorus to lakes from the open country were reduced by 50%, the Secchi limit in the majority of lakes in the monitoring programme would be increased to around 4 metres.

Ground water

In certain parts of the country it may become necessary to purify the ground water of nitrate and pesticides etc. for a limited period.

Preventive efforts must, however, be given a higher priority than subsequent purification of the ground water. It is an important element of the future strategy for ground water protection to designate areas with special drinking water interests. At the same time, a high general level of protection for the rest of the country must be maintained.

In 1996, a Drinking Water Committee was established, chaired by the Danish EPA, with the task of evaluating the present ground water protection regulations. The Committee must present its recommendations for stricter measures to protect the ground water used for drinking water.

Marine areas

If the reduction objectives of the Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment were to be reached, other things being equal, it would result in marked and lasting improvements in most of the fjords and other coastal areas receiving nutrients via watercourses or from direct discharges. The nitrogen concentration of heavily loaded waters would be lowered by up to 40%. A drop of this magnitude may result in:

	a 20 to 40% reduction of the plankton algae biomass
	a 30 to 40% increase of the depth limit of eel grass
	a 30 to 100% increase of the depth distribution of other benthic flora
	an up to 70% increase of the area covered by eelgrass
	a marked reduction of the number and duration of oxygen depletion periods.

In the other parts of the Danish waters the Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment will, in combination with near-similar reduction plans in the other countries sharing the North Sea and the Baltic countries, lead to improvements.

Within the framework of the Marine Research Programme 90 it has been calculated that if the objectives of the Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment are met and similar reduction plans in other Baltic and North Sea countries are implemented, oxygen conditions will be improved in years of typical precipitation, run-off, wind and water exchange. In a normal year, there would thus be no pronounced oxygen depletion (<2mg oxygen/l) in the open parts of inner Danish waters, with the exception of the Little Belt. The Sound and the Fehmern Belt would maintain oxygen concentrations below 4 mg oxygen per litre.

Seen as a whole, there is no doubt that meeting of the reduction objectives of the Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment of 50% for nitrogen and 80% for phosphorus would produce an improved marine environment. The effects of the Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment would of course be greater in the waters where the Danish input is most important. Environmental conditions in the open waters would also be improved. Marked improvements in the open waters require that the countries around the Baltic and the North Sea implement the agreed reduction plans, and that initiatives are taken to reduce atmospheric nitrogen contributions.

Cultivated areas

The monitoring programme of the Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment has shown that the use of commercial fertilisers must be further reduced if the objectives of the Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment and thus of the Nitrate Directive and the 10 Point Programme, are to be met. The monitoring programme pinpoints the following:

	over-fertilisation still amounts to approx. 35,000 tonnes of N
	the norms for the nitrogen needs of crops are still determined on the basis of the optimum agro-industrial level
	existing harmonisation rules lead to a structurally based over-fertilisation with phosphorus

According to its agenda of March 21, 1996, the Folketing will in 1998 discuss the further measures required to ensure that the objectives will be reached. However, the Government has already decided to table a proposal that a nitrogen levy be introduced. This is an example of a new initiative which would serve to reduce the use of commercial fertilisers and to exploit the use of farmyard manure more efficiently, to the benefit of ground water and environment.

Atmospheric deposition

The importance of input of nitrogen, in particular, from the atmosphere will increase in relation to the drop in discharge from point sources and from agricultural leaching. Consequently, in view of the desire to improve the environmental conditions of the open sea it is important that the international agreements to reduce nitrogen oxides be implemented, on national as well as international levels.

Point sources

Following the Waste Water Report of the Danish EPA, 1995a and White Paper No. 3, 1996 (The Danish EPA,1996a), the Folketing in May 1997 passed amendments to the Environmental Protection Act and the Payment Regulations Act which primarily concern waste water disposal from sparsely populated areas, ref. Consolidated Act No. 325 of May 14, 1997.

The expected effect is a significant reduction in waste water discharge from sparsely populated areas with the result that a large number of watercourses which cannot meet the set objectives today will be able to do so in future.

Conclusions

No significant improvement of the state of the environment

The state of the Danish aquatic environment in 1996 had as a whole not improved significantly compared with the immediately preceding years. There was, though, an improvement in the marine areas. The reason was very low precipitation which resulted in an extremely low nitrogen run-off.

The theme of this year's report is the environmental conditions of freshwater areas. The conclusion is that:

	the environmental conditions of watercourses are influenced by unfavourable physical conditions and waste water loading,
	in general, the phosphorus concentration in watercourses fell during 1989-1996 as a result, among other things, of improved waste water purification,
	for the first time since 1989, there is a trend towards lower nitrogen loading of watercourses from cultivated catchment areas,
	if the objectives set for watercourses are to be reached, measures to improve the physical conditions and to further limit waste water loading are required,
	the environmental conditions of Danish lakes are today influenced by nutrient pollutants
	today, the open country is the main source of nutrient inputs to lakes,
	the achievement of the objectives set for lakes requires increased measures in particular to further limit the phosphorus loading from sparsely populated areas and from cultivated areas,
	the state of Danish fjords is affected by nutrient pollutants
	in more than half of the fjords the concentrations of phosphorus in the water have been reduced as a result of improved sewage treatment
	the state of the environment of fjords can only be improved permanently if the reduction objectives for both nitrogen and phosphorus are achieved,
	achievement of the reduction objectives will result in a markedly improved environment in fjords.

Point source targets have been achieved

The overall conclusion is that the objectives of the Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment on reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus discharge from point sources have been achieved.

The effects of targets achieved

The year of 1996 may be considered "nature's own huge experiment", which showed that a reduction of the nitrogen load to the level aimed at in the Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment will improve, under normal meteorological conditions, the environmental condition of Danish waters significantly.

Lasting improvements will be achieved through active co-responsibility

It must also be concluded that significant and lasting improvements of the aquatic environment are possible only if the impact from agriculture is reduced. The monitoring programme has proved that over-fertilisation of a minor part of the agricultural areas results in considerable run-off, and that further reductions cannot be expected under the present regulations. Consequently, there is a clear need for a reduction of the use of commercial fertilisers and improved utilisation of farmyard manure