The quality of water in Dutch lakes, rivers and canals has been worsening in the past years and, continuing at this pace, it will not reach the “good” status required by 2027 under EU rules, the European Commission warned in a report published on Tuesday.

The report assesses progress made under the Water Framework Directive, the main EU law in this field. Adopted in 2000, the directive requires that surface waters (lakes, rivers, ditches and coastal waters) and ground waters achieve “good ecological status” by 2027.

Based on data provided by member states, however, most EU countries will fail to reach the objective. Across the EU, only 39% of surface waters are currently in ranked “good” in terms of their ecological status, and 27% meet the “good” chemical status.

In the Netherlands, out of 745 surface water bodies monitored, none were classified as being “good”, a “slight deterioration” compared to 2015. In total, 64% were considered “moderate”, 26% “poor”, and 9% in bad condition.

Although there are fewer bodies of water in bad and poor status compared to the past, there has been a “serious deterioration” with regard to chemical status. The number of water bodies classified as “good” with regard to chemicals has  “dramatically and steadily decreased”, from 70% in 2009 to 39% in 2015 and 9% in 2021, the report says.

Only 5.2% of Dutch bodies of water are expected to be classified as “good” ecologically by 2027 and about 20% will be given the “good” chemical status.

The main causes, the commission said, are dense population, land use, agricultural and economic activities, as well as past pollution.

The pressure on groundwater in particular is not likely to improve, thanks to four pollutants linked to agriculture: nitrate, chloride, pesticides and phosphorus. The commission warned that the government decision to weaken measures aiming to address nitrogen pollution “can have negative consequences for water quality.”

The commission recommended the government “drastically reduce nutrient pollution”, considering that the nitrogen emissions are four times higher than the EU average.

It also suggests adopting “mandatory measures if voluntary measures appear insufficient”, “increase funding for sustainable water management”, ensure that permits to industrial installations discharging into surface waters are reviewed, and improve measures such as re-naturalisation.

Challenges

“Our waters face significant challenges, from pollution and water supply threats to insufficient flood preparedness. We must boost our efforts to build water resilience,” said EU environment commissioner Jessika Roswall, announcing an EU-wide water resilience strategy for later this year.

Environmental organisations in the Living Rivers Coalition, including WWF, The Nature Conservancy and Wetlands International, said member states must make water management a national priority.

They should do this by “addressing water pollution, reducing net water use where water stress hits, and protecting and restoring our rivers, lakes, and wetlands, which are our best allies in restoring the water cycle and buffering against climate change impacts,” the organisations said.