Water Accounts and the Water Framework Directive

Statistics Netherlands Jan Berdowski and Sjoerd Schenau

Implementation of the Water Framework Directive

 In Europe, the introduction of the

Water Framework Directive European

(2000/60/EC) has given demand to more information on the relation between environment and economy 

An integrated river basin information system offers various opportunities for the implementation of the WFD

Implications of the WFD

1. Demand for water-related data of various kinds (water supply and use, economic data, water quality etc.) that are integrated and consistent 2. Availability of data that are comparable across countries 3. Better studies of the costs and prices of water services 4. More focus on the geographical boundaries of the data, i.e. water bodies and river basin districts

Water accounting in the Netherlands

 The Dutch water accounts combines different types of data and includes an economic account, an emission account and a water extraction and discharge account  The

Dutch water accounts

annually by Statistics are published Netherlands.

The Institute for Inland Water Management and Wastewater Treatment (RIZA) uses the water accounts for making the reports regarding to the Water Framework Directive

GDP and emissions of heavy metals

130 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50

value added, basic prices ( price level 2000) emissions, heavy metals pollution, heavy metals

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999

year

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Decrease of heavy metal emissions

 Decrease amalgama use by dentists  Prohibition of antifouling paint for recreation boats (Copper)  Reorganisation of the fertilizer industry (Cadmium)

Environmental efficiency

1600 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0

Transport Agriculture & fishery Government & social services Industry

1995 2004

Business services

Emissions attributed to final demand categories

Export Consumption government Consumption households Investments & stocks

GDP and environmental indicators : SCHELD

140 130 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 wastewater nutrients heavy metals GDP

Usefulness of wateraccounting for WFD Water accounting provides a consistent integrated economic- environmental accounting framework, which provides information about: - Intensity of water use by branches of industry - The physical flows of supply of water services - Emissions to water by branches of industry - Production costs of water services - Environmental taxes related to water at National and River Basin level

Conclusions

 By linking water and substance flows to economic flows and doing this systematically for a number of years,

insight is gained into the relationship between our physical water system and the economy

.

 The integration of water and economy at river basin level makes water accounting an

important information tool

to support policy and decision-making in the field of integrated water management as advocated by the

WFD

.