In May of last year, WWF published a study that shows that French drinking water is highly contaminated by nitrates and pesticides.
Water companies can purify it to levels safe for human consumption, but only at major expense.
The study was headline news and French authorities are now realising that they have no choice but to manage their freshwater ecosystems in a more sustainable way . It is not just France that is facing problems. Pollution is a problem right across Europe, excessive floods occur in most of Western and Central Europe and cause heavy damage, fisheries are declining and tourism is suffering. We are all well aware that reliable water supplies and protected freshwater resources are essential for our homes, industries, farms and recreation. Yet over the last century, we have used and abused those important and finite resources with little regard for the consequences of how much is available, the quality of our water and the ecosystems that are at its source.