19. 9. 74 Official  Journal  of the  European  Communities No C 109/41 
2.11.  Article  14 (1) 
2.11.1.  The  Economic  and  Social  Committee 
wishes  to be involved  in the  work  of the  Founda-
tion since  it could  make  suggestions  for  Founda-
tion work.  In view  of this,  the  second  sentence  of 
Article  14 (1) should  read  : 
'The  programme  shall  take  into  account  propo-
sals from  the  Scientific  and  Technical 
Committee  and  suggestions  which  may  be made 
by Community  organs  and  institutions'. 
2.11.2.  Article  14 (2) 
This  paragraph  should  read  : 
'The  Director  shall  submit  the  programme  of 
work  for  the  approval  of the  Administrative 
Board,  which  shall  decide  by a majority  vote'. 2.12.  Article  15 (2) 
As in Article  14 (1) and  for  the same  reasons,  this 
should  read  'to Community  organs  and  institutions'. 
2.13.  Article  17 
In order  to obviate  the viability  of the  Foundation 
being  questioned  every  time  budgetary  matters  are 
debated,  certain  commitments  should  be secured 
with  regard  to the  amount  of the  subsidy,  and  the 
Foundation's  staff  should  come  under  a set  of 
Community  staff  regulations  suited  to this  objective. 
Done  at Brussels,  30 May  1974. 
The Chairman 
of the 
Economic  and  Social  Committee 
Alfons  LAPPAS 
OPINION  OF  THE  ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  COMMITTEE 
on the  proposal  for  a Council  Directive  concerning  the  quality  required  of surface 
water  intended  for the abstraction  of drinking  water  in the Member  States 
The text  referred  to the Committee  has  been  published  in the Official  Journal  of the 
European  Communities  No  C 44 of 19 April  1974,  page  5. 
A. LEGAL  BASIS  FOR  THE  OPINION 
At its meeting,  held  on 28 January  1974,  the  Council  referred  the  abovementioned 
proposal  for a Directive  to the Economic  and  Social  Committee  on an optional  basis. 
The request  for  an Opinion  was  sent  by the  Council  to the  Economic  and  Social 
Committee  on 30 January  1974. 
B. OPINION  OF  THE  ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  COMMITTEE 
The Economic  and  Social  Committee  prepared  its Opinion  on the above  matter  at its 
120th  Plenary  Session,  held  in Brussels  on 29 and  30 May  1974. 
The full  text  of the Opinion  is as follows  : 
THE  ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  COMMITTEE, 
Having  regard  to the  letter  dated  30 January  1974 
in which  the President  of the Council  of the  Euro-
pean  Communities  requested  the  Economic  and 
Social  Committee  to deliver  an Opinion  on the pro-
posal  for >a Council  Directive  concerning  the quality 
required  of surface  water  intended  for  the  abstrac-
tion of drinking  water  in the Member  States  ; Having  regard  to Article  198  of the Treaty  of Rome 
establishing  the European  Economic  Community  ; 
Having  regard  to the  Decision  taken  by its Bureau 
at its meeting  held  on 26 February  1974  instructing 
the Section  for  Protection  of the  Environment, 
Public  Health  and  Consumer  Affairs  to prepare  an 
Opinion  on the matter  ; 
No C 109/42 Official  Journal  of the  European  Communities 19. 9. 74 
Having  regard  to the  Opinion  delivered  by  the 
Section  for  Protection  of the  Environment,  Public 
Health  and  Consumer  Affairs  at its meeting  on 13 
May  1974  ; 
Having  regard  to the  oral  report  presented  by Mr 
Gailey,  Rapporteur  ; 
Having  regard  to the  discussions  at its  120th 
Plenary  Session  held  on 29 and 30 May  1974  ; 
Whereas  the  increasing  use  of water  resources 
intended  for  human  consumption  and  the  need  to 
protect  public  health  necessitate  a reduction  in 
water  pollution  ; 
Whereas  the  threat  to the  environment  posed  by 
industrial  development  and  population  pressures 
also raises  a problem  in connection  with  the quality 
of surface  waters  abstracted  for drinking  purposes  ; 
Whereas  there  is evidence  of the existence  of a corre-
lation  between  the  hardness  of water  supplies  and 
the incidence  of cardiovascular  disease, 
HAS  ADOPTED  THE  FOLLOWING  OPINION  : 
The Committee  welcomes  the  Commission's  'Pro-
posal  for a Council  Directive  concerning  the quality 
required  of surface  water  intended  for  the  abstrac-
tion of drinking  water  in the Member  States'. 
The Committee  wishes  to draw  the Council's  atten-
tion to the following  comments. 
1. GENERAL  COMMENTS 
1.1. The  quantitative  availability  of water  per 
head  of population  varies  as between  Member 
States.  Factors  such  as density  of population,  the 
intensity  and  location  of industrial  development,  the 
intensity  of agriculture,  geographical  and  topogra-
phical  characteristics  and  the  relevant  costs  arising 
all play  a part  in determining  what  measures  are 
chosen  to  ensure  that  water  supplies  remain 
adequate  for  the  achievement  of desired  economic 
and social  development  with  proper  regard  for envi-
ronmental  requirements. 
1.2. In  some  Member  States  new  high-quality 
water  sources  such  as deep  aquifers  and  upland 
isolated  storage  sites  are  becoming  difficult  to 
secure  and  exploit,  and  recourse  must  be made  to 
an increasing  extent  to abstractions  from  the middle 
and lower  reaches  of rivers.  In some  cases  the 
quality  of water  abstracted  may  not  even  comply 
with  the  requirements  of Article  5 of the  proposed 
Directive  or meet  the requirements  of category  A.3. 
This  is likely  to occur  when  rivers  are  relatively 
short  and  abstraction  rates  are  high  and  supplies 
can only  be maintained  by successive  withdrawals of water  returned  to rivers  as treated  effluent. 
Where  rivers  are short  and  dilution  from  tributaries 
is meagre,  the  same  water  may  be used  time  and 
time  again  during  its passage  downstream  and  it 
may not  be possible  to achieve  water  quality  stan-
dards  that  comply  even  with  category  A.3,  without 
costly  and  high-quality  treatment. 
1.3. The  Committee  recognizes  that  achievement 
of the  standards  specified  in the  proposal  for  a 
Directive  could  well  entail  very  heavy  expenditure 
for certain  Member  States.  Thus,  for example,  it is 
estimated  that  if, for any  reason,  the re-use  of water 
in South-East  England  could  not  continue,  then  the 
additional  costs  likely  to be incurred  up to the  end 
of the present  century  would  exceed  £ 1 000 million 
by a considerable  margin. 
2. SPECIFIC  COMMENTS 
Article  5 
2.1. It  is generally  accepted  that  the  value  of a 
chemical  analysis  or  bacteriological  examination 
depends  upon  the sample  being  representative  of the 
whole.  It follows  then  that  the  sampling  techniques 
adopted  are  important.  Sampling  must  be carried 
out not  only  often  enough  but  also  at appropriate 
intervals  of time.  Sampling  procedures  should  be 
properly  supervised.  Article  5 refers  to the extent  to 
which  samples  must  comply  with  the  parameter 
specified  in the  columns  'I', but  it does  not  offer 
any guidance  on  sampling  procedures  or  their 
frequency.  The  Committee  is advised  that  the 
frequency  of sampling  depends  very  largely  on the 
characteristics  of individual  sources  and  because  of 
this must  be dependent  to a large  extent  on the 
judgement  of  those  immediately  concerned. 
However,  it is considered  that  Article  5 could 
usefully  provide  some  general  guidance  on  this 
subject. 
Article  9 
2.2. Article  9 provides  for the revision  of numer-
ical values  for the parameters  given  in the  table  of 
Annex  1 whenever  this  is seen  to be necessary  and 
whenever  new  technical  and  scientific  knowledge 
becomes  available.  These  values  refer  only  to 
maxima  with  a view  to controlling  concentrations 
of pollutants  that  are  considered  to be unnecessary 
or undesirable.  However,  the  Directive  does  not 
contain  any  reference  to substances  whose  presence 
is considered  to be advantageous  or likely  to be 
advantageous.  In this  connection  the  Committee 
19. 9. 74 Official  Journal  of the  European  Communities No C 109/43 
wishes  to draw  the  Council's  attention  to  the 
growing  anxiety  in medical  circles  about  the  statis-
tical  relationship  believed  to exist  between  the  inci-
dence  of cardiovascular  disease  and  the  hardness 
of water  supplies.  Although  statistically  there 
appears  to be such  a connection,  there  is not  yet 
any precise  knowledge  in this  field,  nor  can  it be 
accepted  at the  present  time  that  there  is a direct 
cause-and-effect  relationship  between  hard  water 
and certain  kinds  of cardiovascular  disease.  It there-fore seems  desirable  that  further  investigation  be 
undertaken  on  this  particular  aspect  of  water 
quality. 
Done  at Brussels,  30 May  1974. 
The Chairman 
of the 
Economic  and  Social  Committee 
Alfons  LAPPAS 
OPINION  OF  THE  ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  COMMITTEE 
on the  Draft  Council  Resolution  on the  adaptation  to technical  progress  of Directives 
on the protection  and  improvement  of the environment 
The text  referred  to the  Committee  has  been  published  in the  Official  Journal  of the 
European  Communities  No  C 44 of 19 April  1974,  page  26. 
A. LEGAL  BASIS  FOR  THE  OPINION 
At its meeting,  held  on 26 March  1974,  the  Council  referred  the  abovementioned 
proposal  for  a Draft  Council  Resolution  to the  Economic  and  Social  Committee  on 
an optional  basis. 
The request  for  an Opinion  was  sent  by the  Council  to the  Economic  and  Social 
Committee  on 27 March  1974. 
B. OPINION  OF  THE  ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  COMMITTEE 
The Economic  and  Social  Committee  prepared  its Opinion  on the  above  matter  at its 
120th  Plenary  Session,  held  in Brussels  on 29 and  30 May  1974. 
The full  text  of the Opinion  is as follows  : 
THE  ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  COMMITTEE, 
Having  regard  to the  request  by the  Council  of the 
European  Communities,  dated  27  March  1974, 
for an Opinion  on the  Draft  Council  Resolution  on 
the adaptation  to technical  progress  of Directives  on 
the protection  and  improvement  of the  environ-
ment  ; 
Having  regard  to the  Decision  taken  on 26 March 
1974  by its Bureau,  in anticipation  of an imminent 
consultation,  entrusting  the  Section  for  Protection 
of the  Environment,  Public  Health  and  Consumer 
Affairs  with  the  preparation  of an Opinion  and  a 
report  on the matter  ; 
Having  regard  to Article  198  of the EEC  Treaty  ; Having  regard  to  its  Opinion  on  the  General 
programme  to eliminate  technical  barriers  to trade 
in industrial  products,  resulting  from  disparities 
between  the  laws,  regulations  and  administrative 
provisions  of the  Member  States  dated  28  May 
1969  ; 
Having  regard  to  the  Opinion  delivered  by  the 
Section  for  Protection  of the  Environment,  Public 
Health  and  Consumer  Affairs  on 13 May  1974  ; 
Having  regard  to the  oral  report  presented  by Mr 
Ramaekers  ; 
Having  regard  to discussions  at the  120th  Plenary 
Session  on 29 and  30 May  1974  ; 
Whereas  it must  be possible  for  Community  Direc-
tives  and  rules  under  the  environmental  action