Eutrophication is one of the most serious environmental problems in the North Baltic Sea Water District. More than 75 percent of our coastal waters and around a third of the district’s lakes and waterways have been assessed to be clearly affected by eutrophication. Eutrophication is mainly caused by phosphorus and nitrogen from agriculture, stormwater, and household wastewater. Among other things, it leads to the overgrowth of aquatic environments and increased algal blooms. It threatens animals and plants, as well as our own enjoyment of nature, swimming and outdoor life.
Within the context of LIFE IP Rich Waters, we have employed various methods and tools to reduce eutrophication from agriculture.
Nutrient losses from agricultural land: Current policy instruments and their effects and consequences (30 June 2019)
Horse keeping differs in many ways from traditional farming. That’s why LIFE IP Rich Waters has developed a specific method for water conservation planning on horse farms. These farms often have a typical layout, with smaller, heavily-trampled outdoor paddocks that are usually muddy for much of the year. The nutrients in horse manure mix with rainwater and meltwater and can contribute to eutrophication when they end up in waterways or lakes. With a water conservation plan, horse keepers gain better knowledge of how their farms and operations affect the aquatic environment. But above all, these plans help them identify and prioritise suitable measures, such as improving drainage, moving feeding sites, or ensuring that there is a buffer zone of vegetation between paddocks and waterways.
Publication:
Julmyra Horse Center as a show-case for nutrient load reduction in horse keeping (17 January 2015)
In Kiladalen, the Nyköping Rivers Water Conservation Association and the County Administrative Board of Södermanland have set up a local water office for coordination. In addition to working with local measures against eutrophication, the Water Office provides support in applications to improve the aquatic environment and help with documentation for permit applications, fieldwork and geographical analyses. The office also arranges inspiration days and workshops. Its efforts are based on strong local commitment from farmers and landowners. The result has been a number of new initiatives in the area, involving everything from phosphorus ponds and wetlands to low-flush toilets and reed cutting. At the same time, the cooperation between authorities and landowners has improved.
In a similar way, Uppsala Municipality has brought together stakeholders around the Hågaån River. They have established a separate Water Council, which has developed a local action plan and boosted joint water quality improvement efforts. In Västmanland, the County Administrative Board has gathered landowners to work with the waterways that flow into Lake Mälaren so that they can agree on appropriate actions and find financing opportunities.
Publications:
Initiating and planning för measures in Hågaån (6 November 2024)
Capacity building and planning to decrease eutrophication at the river basin level -Kilaån Water hub (6 November 2024)
River basin and stakeholder approach to decrease eutrophication (6 November 2024)
Nutrients that leak from agriculture contribute to the eutrophication of our lakes, waterways and seas. The type and effectiveness of measures necessary to combat eutrophication largely depend on local conditions. Researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) have therefore developed modelling and maps to facilitate the remediation work. The results can be used by, e.g. catchment 0fficers, advisors, farmers, water strategists, and other people in county administrative boards, municipalities and water conservation associations working to improve our water.
Using sensors, it is possible to collect continuous information about the water quality of streams and rivers. But how can high-frequency sensor measurements of water quality be used in water management? As part of the Rich Waters project, SLU and the Swedish Environmental Research Institute (IVL) have examined the quality and practical aspects of sensor measurements in waterways and demonstrated that sensors can give us more reliable calculations of how various substances are transported along with the water. Examples of the applications for sensor data in water management have also been developed. It is a challenge to be able to make use of all the information that we can obtain with the help of high-frequency data collection. But the more we learn, the more it can benefit us in the future. According to the researchers who worked on the study, there is great future potential, with several areas of application in aquatic environmental work.
Publications:
Decision support tools to reduce eutrophication – Evaluation report (10 March 2025)
High-frequency data sets in modelling (9 June 2023)
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