The drinking water companies purify water from these sources, producing drinking water that complies with statutory requirements. The Netherlands sources its drinking water from groundwater and from surface water. We've been irrigating with recycled water for many years and no one's ever noticed anything!"Īnd I can confirm the horchata is excellent.The quality of drinking water in the Netherlands is excellent. "Would the water be good or not? But we've been using it for over 25 years and the results are really positive. "At first, farmers were reluctant," says Aguilar. This water is used to water fruits and vegetables and a lot of 'chufa', a Valencian tiger nut that's the main ingredient of the local drink horchata. And what's now a fertile vegetable garden would turn into a desert in a few years. So if we didn't irrigate the land like that, salt would come in. Because we're in a region where there isn't that much water, remember we're at the same level as the sea. "But it'd be a shame if this treated water, couldn't be used. "Before, there was no water from the treatment plant and we managed to get by," says farmer Enrique Aguilar. The recycled water is mixed with water from a river before joining traditional irrigation channels. But that's nothing compared to the situation in southern Europe.įarmer Enrique Aguilar Euronews Video Capture This winter there was much less snow in the Alps, so less water flowing into the lake. "It is planned that the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries will pay for the financing of these facilities for environmental protection." "There are plans to eliminate micro-pollutants for large stations and sensitive regions at EU level," Launay explains. This technology is likely to be adopted elsewhere as new European regulations extend the list of banned pollutants. "With ozone, we have a chemical process, we are going to break down these pollutants, and therefore these smaller molecules will be eliminated by the treatment plant," says Launay. An additional ozone treatment is now used in several stations. "Because many people live off it - and that's why we have to try to treat the wastewater as well as we can."įor the state of Baden-Württemberg, it's a priority. "Of course, we have to take care of the drinking water reservoir as much as possible," says Heiko Kiebler, Eriskirch Wastewater Treatment Plant Manager. Part of the solution lies in the plants that treat used water before returning it to nature. Marie Launay heads a unit dedicated to tackling these micro-pollutants which are harmful to fish, ecosystems and humans. Marie Launay and Heiko Kiebler Euronews Video Capture And these substances, when they're persistent, they also persist in the environment and so it's important to eliminate them to preserve water quality." "We're using more medicines, more pesticides too. ![]() "We're using more and more chemicals at home, with household products," French scientist Marie Launay, Head of the Micro-Pollutants Competence Center at Baden-Württemberg explains. This region's also at the forefront of the new battle against micro-pollutants. Millions drink the water - and it's the pride of the city. It's also on the shores of Lake Constance, the largest drinking water reservoir in Europe. It's an example to follow, at a time when the new European directive on drinking water aims to guarantee access to quality water for all.įriedrichshafen is the city where the Zeppelin was invented. ![]() The rule is simple: the less polluted the water, the less it has to be cleaned. Lake Constance: Cutting pollution at sourceĪt Lake Constance in Germany, they've achieved development without cutting water quality: ![]() But with the challenges brought on by climate change and soaring demand, new approaches are being adopted to improve cleanliness, distribution and recycling. Europe is lucky: overall, water quality is improving and there's a good level of access to drinking water.
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