29/04/2022
WHY GROUNDWATER?
The RECYCLE projects is manly focused on groundwater pollutions and remediation.
Even if less popular in public debates than surface water, groundwater stores are 1/3 of the total global freshwater resources.
In EU, 65% of drinking water and 25% of agricultural irrigation comes from groundwater resources.
According to Member States’ second river basin management plans (2019), 24% groundwater bodies in the UE-27 are in poor chemical status and 9% is in poor quantitative status. In the same area 19% of the groundwater bodies are in less-than-good chemical status mainly because of diffuse pollution from agriculture.
Last but not least, irrigation water demand is expected to grow due to climate change (EEA 2021) increasing pressure on groundwater bodies.
REFERENCES
https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/explore-interactive-maps/water-framework-directive-2nd-rbmp
https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/europes-groundwater #:~:text=Groundwater%20stores%20almost%20one%20third,of%20water%20for%20agricultural%20irrigation