Water

Clean water is a scarce resource and is of vital importance for human health and for nature.

In Denmark approximately 99% of the water supply is based on groundwater sources, this is unusual as the majority of countries rely on surface waters. Since quality of the groundwater is high it rarely needs to be cleaned, only oxidised and filtrated before it is sent out to the consumers.

However this situation is changing due to the leaching of chemical substances (nutrients, pesticides and other organic solvents) into the ground contaminating raw water. The main sources of this pollution are agriculture, horticulture, industries and public institutions using these substanses. The intensive reclamation of groundwater has moreover resulted in less water in the streams as well as a decline in the water level of wetlands due to drainage.

Since the agricultural and horticultural sectors account for approximately half of Denmark’s total water consumption it is possible to obtain substantial savings if better use of the water is made.