Pilot Project 1 addresses a very common situation in the Atlantic Arc:
The excessive use of chemical agents in irrigated agricultural areas, and the runoff of these substances into rivers from the first autumn and spring rains.
The particularity of the chosen Pilot Project area is that the runoff affects a water intake for the drinking water supply of a population of 200,000 people, and that the pollution is extremely costly for the public sector, forcing it to make extraordinary investments in water treatment of €0.6 million annually.
The pilot project is located in the Guadalquivir River Basin, and there are indications that periodic pollution originates from some crops in its vicinity, but there is no single representative for all farmers.
Under the leadership of ARECIAR, the levels of pollutants reaching the river and affecting its ecosystem and drinking water supply will be monitored. Hydraulic models and geographical studies will be used to trace the source of the pollution: which plots and which crops are responsible.
Subsequently, a negotiation and agreement process will be initiated with farmers to reduce their use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, thus avoiding the penalties stipulated in sectoral water and environmental legislation.
This pilot project can develop a working methodology applicable throughout the EU for better “Protection of the perimeters of drinking water sources,” in accordance with the Water Framework Directive.
