Linking Economic Accounts
to the River Basin
based on: “Integrated river basin accounting in the Netherlands and
the European Water Framework Directive” (Brouwer et al, Statistical
J. of the UNECE 22 2005)
Outline
• Water Framework Directive and Hybrid
accounts
• How to link the Regional Economic
Accounts to the River Basins
• Country experiences
• Netherlands
• Sweden
• Australia
WFD and Hybrid Accounts
• WFD: increase in demand for water-related data
• Use Hybrid Accounts which provide
information on
- Intensity of water use by branches of
industry
- The physical flows of supply of water services
- Production costs of water services
- Environmental taxes related to water
- at National and River Basin level
Dutch River Basins
• As Rhine covers 70% of Dutch territory is split-up
4 sub-regions: North, East, West and Centre
River Basins vs Regional
Economic Accounts
Regional Economic Accounts
• 12 Provinces
• 40 Administrative Regions or COROP
• Each COROP region consists of several
municipalities
• 512 Municipalities
• Regional accounts are at COROP level
• Focus on the production process in each unit, in
the various regions
Assigning Regional Accounts to
River Basins (1)
ECONOMIC DATA
• 23 Regional Accounts fall directly within a specific River Basin
• Other 17 overlap: economic data allocated based on estimated percentage of
employees working in a specific River Basin
• Reason: no economic data available at individual company level
Method:
• Identify specific branches of industry in these COROPs
• Identify number of employees in these branches
• Identify municipalities where these business units are located
• If municipalities fall into 2 River Basins: Postal codes
• If single postal code falls into 2 River Basins: business units and
employees are allocated based on area of the postal code falling in that
River Basin
Assigning Regional Accounts to
River Basins (2)
EMISSION DATA
• Supplied by Regional Emission Registration (level
of individual plants)
• If location of activity does not correspond with
location of emission source, emissions are
allocated to location of activity
WATER DATA (ABSTRACTION AND RETURNS)
• National Water Survey conducted every 5 years
• 7500 businesses
Sweden
WATER DATA (ABSTRACTION AND RETURNS)
• Allocation of 289 municipality data to 8 River Basins, using GIS
(Geographical information system)
• 119 entirely within specific River Basin
• 165 intersected with only minor part or all major urban areas
located within a River Basin
• 5 were disaggregated based on population percentages in urban
areas
• Survey on Manufacturing industry and Municipal Waste Water
Treatment Plants leading to data for 114 drainage basins
• Abstracted water for own use by households not connected to the
public network estimated using real estate register + 189 litre/day
Australia
AGRICULTURAL WATER USE
• Area-weighted-concordance method used to provide
estimates on agricultural use at River Basin level
• Agricultural census provides estimates on irrigated area by
type of crop (hectares)
• Calculate water use per hectare per crop
• Calculate Total Agricultural Water Use per Statistical
Local Area
• Compare maps of Statistical Local Areas and River
Basins: allocate water use based on percentage of
overlap of SLA with RB
Comparison of approaches
• COROP (NL) vs
municipality level (Sweden) vs
Statistical Local Area (AUS)
• Employees (NL) vs
inhabitants (Sweden) vs
area (AUS)
Different country-specific circumstances
Results (Netherlands)
Rhine west
Rhine mid
Rhine east
Rhine north
Meuse
Scheldt
Ems
3%
3%
21%
50%
5%
10%
8%
• Distribution of economic value added generated
in the various river basins in the Netherlands
GDP and environmental
indicators: national (NL)
130
125
120
115
wastewater
nutrients
heavy metals
GDP
110
105
100
95
90
85
80
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
• Suggests that water is used in a more efficient way
GDP and environmental
indicators: SCHELD River Basin
(NL)
140
130
120
110
wastewater
nutrients
heavy metals
GDP
100
90
80
70
60
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
Water use in 2001 (NL)
100%
90%
80%
SCHELD
70%
MEUSE
60%
EEMS
50%
MID
EAST
40%
NORD
30%
WEST
20%
10%
0%
tapwater
sweet
groundwater
brackish
groundwater
sweet surface
water
salt
surfacewater
Confidentiality (NL)
• It concerns economic data and water flow data
• Rules:
• Sector should consist of at least 3 or more companies
• The largest company cannot employ more than 75% of
employees in a specific region
• Largest company in a specific branch of industry cannot
employ more than 70% of total freshwater in that region
• In terms of representation: confidentiality problems are
solved by presenting two sectors together
Example: Water use per River Basin per sector only compiled
for 2 largest River Basins due to confidentiality reasons