Good Quality Groundwater

Good-Quality Groundwater is one of the 16 environmental quality objectives that the Swedish Parliament has established. SGU is responsible for this environmental objective.
"Groundwater must assure a safe and sustainable supply of drinking water, as well as promoting viable habitats for plants and animals in lakes and watercourses."

The outcome within a generation for this environmental quality objective should include the following:

• Groundwater quality is not adversely affected by human activities such as land use, extraction of natural gas, pollutant inputs etc.
• The quality of the groundwater that leaks out helps to provide good habitats for plants and animals in lakes and streams.
• Consumption or other human impacts do not lower the groundwater level so as to jeopardize the supply and quality of the water.
• The levels of anthropogenic pollution in groundwater are so low that its quality meets the requirements for good drinking water quality in accordance with Swedish standards for drinking water and good groundwater status under the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC).

To achieve the Groundwater environmental quality objective, the Swedish government and the Parliament have established interim targets that must be achieved during the course of this effort. The Swedish government receives an annual progress report on the effort, and the Parliament will receive a detailed assessment every four years.