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 European
Water Framework Directive (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 are published
annually by Statistics 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
index (1995=100)
110
100
90
80
value added, basic prices (
price level 2000)
emissions, heavy metals
70
60
pollution, heavy metals
50
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)
heavy metals equivalant / euro (*1000000)
Environmental efficiency
1600
1400
1995
2004
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
Transport
Agriculture & Government
fishery
& social
services
Industry
Business
services
Emissions attributed to final
demand categories
Export
Consumption
government
Consumption
households
Investments & stocks
GDP and environmental indicators :
SCHELD
140
130
120
110
wastewater
nutrients
heavy metals
GDP
100
90
80
70
60
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
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.