What do we see?
The percentage of monitoring sites in agricultural areas exceeding the phosphate threshold in winter year 2021-2022 is 54%. Since 2015-2016, the number of monitoring sites meeting the environmental quality standard (classes “good” and “very good”) has been slowly increasing. The proportion of monitoring sites rated “poor” in winter year 2015-2016 has also decreased since then, from 34% to 21%. The majority of monitoring sites show no statistically significant trend over the period 2016-2021. However, for both periods, the percentage of monitoring sites with a significant decrease is clearly higher than the percentage with a significant increase. The interpretation of the measurements is complicated by drought, when monitoring sites go dry.
What’s the aim?
In a circular model, we aim to avoid leakage flows as much as possible: this limits the demand for new inputs and prevents damage to the environment. Excess amounts of phosphate in soil lead to eutrophication of water. The result is not only a disruption of the ecosystem but also a negative impact on our drinking water. The amounts are related to the way we produce our food, think for instance about cultivation choices and fertilisation. The weather as well as the history of phosphate fertilisation are also strong determinants.
What does this indicator measure?
This indicator shows the evolution of the amount of orthophosphate in surface water in Flemish agricultural areas based on measurements in 760 monitoring sites between July 1 and June 30 (winter year). The result is expressed as an evaluation against the applicable standard. The data are collected by the Flanders Environment Agency (VMM) using the MestActiePlan measurement network.
VMM
