Nitrate concentrations of agricultural origin — 2011/2012 — Surface water — France

Directive 91/676/EEC of 12 December 1991, known as the Nitrates Directive, aims to protect the quality of water by preventing pollution of groundwater and surface water by nitrates of agricultural origin, in particular by promoting the use of good agricultural practices for the management of nitrogen. Its guidelines are widely reflected in the Water Framework Directive (WFD) 2000/60/EC of 23 October 2000. It requires Member States to: • conduct monitoring campaigns for nitrate concentrations in aquatic environments (surface and groundwater) at least every four years; • designate specific protection areas affected or threatened by pollution by nitrates of agricultural origin, so-called vulnerable zones; • drawing up action programmes, the measures of which must be applied by farmers operating in vulnerable areas; • establish good agricultural practices (nitrogen fertilisation, land management) to be implemented voluntarily by farmers. In France, the implementation of the Nitrates Directive began in 1992 with the first monitoring campaign: nitrate concentrations are then measured at around 3,000 sites (known as measuring stations) located in or near agricultural areas. The results made it possible to establish the first delimitation of vulnerable areas in 1997. Four additional campaigns followed (1997-1998, 2000-2001, 2004-2005 and 2010-2011). In addition to these specific campaigns carried out under the Nitrates Directive, and in order to better monitor the evolution of water quality vis-à-vis this parameter, the Ministry responsible for the Environment, the Ministry of the Environment, the National Office for Water and Aquatic Environments (Onema) and the International Office for Water (OIE Water) have carried out a summary document each year since 2006, on the results of the measurements of nitrate concentrations produced under the national aquatic monitoring programme (monitoring, operational control, complementary networks), in application of the WFD. This dataset corresponds to the results of the national monitoring programme, carried out under the WFD, of the stations selected during the 2010-2011 Nitrates Monitoring Campaign, over the period from 01/10/2011 to 30/09/2012, for surface waters. __Partner organisations__ International Office of Water, Water Agencies, Water Offices, ARS, DEAL, DREAL [See this page on geo.data.gouv.fr](https://geo.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/4e67c828559ace7d80bbd27d46eb6d88605f286b)