Hydrogeology. Kevin M. Hiscock

The Water Act 2003 is one example of legislation to further the sustainable use of water resources and protect the environment. The Act links water abstraction licensing to local water resource availability and moves from a licensing system based on purpose of use to one based on volume consumed. The Act also introduces time‐limited licences to give flexibility in making changes to abstraction rights in the face of climate change and increased demand. From 2012, licences without a time limit will be revoked, without a right to compensation, if an abstraction causes significant environmental damage.

      1.7.2 Groundwater abstraction in Europe

In Europe, groundwater is again a significant economic resource. According to a report commissioned for the European Commission (RIVM and RIZA 1991), about 75% of the inhabitants of Europe depend on groundwater for their water supply. As Table 1.6 reveals, large quantities of groundwater are abstracted in Italy (10.40 km³ a⁻¹), as well as Portugal, Germany, Spain and France (all in excess of 5.00 km³ a⁻¹). Groundwater accounts for in excess of 97% of total freshwater abstraction in Malta, Montenegro, Denmark, Croatia and Iceland to less than 10% in Belgium, Bulgaria, Ukraine, The Netherlands, Romania, Hungary and Lithuania. Mediterranean countries rely heavily on groundwater for agricultural irrigation, and of the 29 countries with reported values in Table 1.6, 14 use over half of groundwater abstraction for domestic use.

Table 1.6 Estimated abstraction in European countries (Margat and van der Gun 2013).

      (Source: Adapted from Margat, J. and van der Gun, J. (2013) Groundwater Around the World: A Geographic Synopsis. CRC Press/Balkema, EH Leiden.)

Country	Estimated groundwater abstraction (km^3 a^−1)	Groundwater abstraction by sector	Groundwater share of total freshwater abstraction (%)
Irrigation (%)	Domestic use (%)	Industry (%)
Albania	0.90	61	33	6	53
Andorra	0.01	—	—	—	—
Austria	1.12	5	52	43	30
Belgium	0.65	4	55	41	10
Bosnia and Herzegovina	0.30	33	67	0	32
Bulgaria	0.58	—	—	—	10
Croatia	1.16	0	86	14	97
Cyprus	0.15	87	13	0	62
Czech Republic	0.38	—	—	—	19
Denmark	0.65	38	40	22	98
Estonia	0.33	0	20	80	18
Finland	0.28	24	65	11	17
France	5.71	14	63	23	18
Germany	5.83	4	48	48	18
Greece	3.65	86	14	0	39
Hungary	0.37	18	35	47	7
Iceland	0.16	—	—	—	97
Ireland	0.21	29	35	36	27
Italy	10.40	67	23	10	25
Latvia	0.11	—	—	—	26
Lithuania	0.17	—	—	—	7
Luxembourg	0.02	—	—	—	40
Macedonia	0.16	—