waters

2023 Monitoring Report on the German Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change

Surface water quality was considerably improved in recent decades in Germany. Nevertheless, hazardous substances are still emitted into surface waters. Reducing emissions is mandatory. Where do the pollutants originate? Where are emission hotspots? Which measures are efficient? In order to answer these questions, integrated modelling tools have to be applied.

The group of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons exceeds the values of the environmental quality standards for chemicals regulated in the German Ordinance on Surface Waters.

Persistent organic pollutants are subject to long-range transport and also occur in the environment far from their source. They accumulate in the suspended solids of watercourses and in the food chain. They are toxic to humans and wildlife.

Since 2016, there are new legal requirements for the assessment for nutrients and substances of the waters in Germany. New assessment procedures for hydromorphology were developed. These assessment instruments and the results of the application are described in the brochure "Waters in Germany: Status and Assessment".

Chemicals enter the environment every day, but there is hardly a substance group that is used with more purpose and in such large amounts than plant protection products.