Water to be brought up to EU standards

JAUME Font, the Balearic minister of the environment, announced yesterday that the government will spend three million euros over the next few years on the application of European Union directives on water. By so doing, it hopes to reach the objectives set for 2015 five years in advance.
He said that the government wants to achieve “a good ecological state of water masses on the surface and a good chemical state and amount of water underground” by 2010. Font was speaking at the presentation of three agreements signed with the Balearic University, Vigo University and the Scientific Research Council for the study of water masses, which will establish new parameters on quality. The agreement with the Balearic government will establish the quality of the coastal water following physical-chemical guidelines, studying plankton and posidonia. The Scientific Research Council will analyse seaweeds and other organisms in the sea, while Vigo University will investigate wetlands and water courses on the islands. These surveys are the first stage of the process of adaptation to the European Union directives which were approved in 2000 and incorporated into Spanish legislation in December 2003. The directives were designed to prevent water systems from deteriorating, guarantee greater protection and progressively reduce contamination.
Font said “we are better off than we thought we were in the matter of water.” He added that other studies would cover environmental pressure on water masses, a financial analysis of the cost of use of water and a third on analysing the causes of pollution. This will be the first time that the state of water will be analysed according to the state of life forms found there rather than just the chemical components.