Water ‘stress’ is occurring across the EU and affects 20% of its territory and 30% of its population, according to the European Environment Agency (EEA).

According to the EEA, water stress occurs when the demand for water exceeds the available amount during a certain period, or when poor quality restricts its use. It can cause deterioration of freshwater sources both in terms of the amount of available water and its quality.

In a new report published this week, the EEA said that the level of water stress in the EU is likely to increase due to climate change.

The report said that water in the EU is under significant pressure, presenting challenges to water security. It called on the EU to improve its resilience and ensure sustainable freshwater supplies.

The report also says that managing flood risk affordably and sustainably will become increasingly important, with intense rainfall increasing in parts of Europe leading to floods and growing flood risks.

Under the EU Water Frameworks Directive, the deadline for European water bodies to meet ‘good status’ was 2015, which was not met. The report states that, in 2021, only 37% of the EU’s surface water bodies achieved good our high ecological status, and 29% achieved a good chemical status.

The majority of protected aquatic habitats and species in the EU were assessed in the report as having a poor or bad conservation status.

The report went on to say that waters in the EU continue to be impacted by chemicals, predominantly by atmospheric pollution from coal-powered energy generation and diffuse pollution from agriculture.

The lack of improvement in chemical status can be partly attributed to long-lived pollutants, such as mercury and brominated (treated with bromine) flame retardants. If these long-lived pollutants were not considered, 80% of surface waters would achieve good chemical status rather than 29%.

EU member states report that 77% of groundwater body area is in good chemical status; major pollutants causing failure are nitrates and pesticides.

The report noted that, according to data from respective member states, the most significant pressure impacting both surface and groundwaters arises from agriculture, resulting from water use and pollution from “intensive” use of nitrates and pesticides.

The report said that changing farming practices and new technologies can help ensure continued productivity while enabling agriculture to reduce pollution and adapt to lower water use.

The EEA called for the expansion of nature-based solutions to enhance water retention and “slow the flow” of intense rain to mitigate flooding.

According to the report, challenges to address include changes to physical features and natural flow, such as dams and channelisation, which it says degrades natural habitats. The report claimed that free-flowing rivers and restored wetlands are “essential for healthy, biodiverse freshwater ecosystems”.

However, the key means of reducing water stress is reducing water use and improving water efficiency, the report said. This should include reducing leakage; using water-efficient devices and processes; and increasing water reuse.

The report also claimed that water pricing can also be a driver of reducing water use and improving efficiency, while also providing a mechanism to fund water investments.