Defining the maximum nitrogen surplus in water management plans to recover nitrate polluted aquifers in Spain.
J Environ Manage
; 356: 120770, 2024 Apr.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38552537
ABSTRACT
Nitrate pollution in aquifers is a global concern. Spain has developed a national strategy to recover nitrate polluted aquifers aligned with the European Union (EU) policies, specifically through the water planning under the EU Water Framework Directive. River basin management plans use PATRICAL model results to define the maximum nitrogen surplus in each polluted aquifer for the first time. The maximum nitrogen surplus allows to reach the good status in each aquifer and the model provides the number of years required. Around 30% of the aquifers in Spain is currently heavily polluted by nitrates. Model results show that 90% of these aquifers can be recovered in next 6-12 years by increasing nitrogen use efficiency and reducing nitrogen losses around 50%, which is in line with the EU Farm to Fork Strategy. The remaining aquifers require additional reductions to achieve the good status. In Spain this increase in nitrogen efficiency can be obtained with different measures including 30% reduction of current fertilization.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Contaminantes Químicos del Agua
/
Agua Subterránea
País/Región como asunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Environ Manage
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article