1.1.1.WATER RESOURCES Luxembourg has a moderate oceanic western European climate with mild winters and comfortable summers. Absolute minimum and maximum air temperatures in the reference period 1961-1990 range from –17.8°C in January (1979) to 35.1°C in July (1964). The long-term average of annual precipitation is 934 mm/year. The long-term average of annual renewable water resources is stated as 3,100 million m³/year of which 32 per cent are considered to be internal water resources (1,000 million m³) and as much as 68 per cent are considered to be external water resources (2,100 million of m³). As at 2009 the total dam (reservoir) capacity was stated to be 62 million m³. Luxembourg has two river basin districts (RBDs) which are the Maas and the Rhine. Both are international, sharing water courses with France in the southeast, Belgium in the northeast and Germany in the west. Consultation on draft river basin management plans took place between 22 December 2008 and 30 June 2009. River basin management plans for Luxembourg were adopted in December 2009.

1.1.2.WATER USE The usage intensity of available resources in households, industry and agriculture is relatively low compared to other developed countries, reflecting the low level of abstraction for agriculture. Daily household consumption is 140 litres per capita. There is little loss through leakage and many of the water supply systems have been upgraded over the last 10 years. Water withdrawal in the country has been estimated at a total of 69.2 million m³. This water abstraction can be itemized by user sector. It was estimated that 47 million m³ was dedicated to urban use in 2009 (around 67 per cent of total water consumption). In 1999, water withdrawal for agriculture was estimated at only 0.2 million m³; and for industrial use, 22 million m³ (which represents around 32 per cent of the total abstraction). Groundwater provides 57 per cent of the 47 million m3 of drinking water used annually in Luxembourg. Also, in the southern industrial region, industries and utilities must draw from the water table of the Luxembourg sandstone aquifer, located in the centre of the country, and from the Esch-sur-Sûre reservoir in the north to cover their water needs. Under the legislation of Luxembourg regarding water (The Water Act), there must be a balance between depletion and renewal of underground water sources so that they will be in good condition by no later than 2015. The preference given to surface tapping over groundwater pumping eliminates the risk of over-exploitation of the sandstone aquifer, which supplies more than half of the country’s drinking water. On the other hand, the Esch-sur-Sûre reservoir, which provides 43 per cent of the water supply to public utilities in Luxembourg, is in a critical state of eutrophication. While the demand for water from industry has decreased with the improvement of industrial processes, notably in the metallurgy sector, household consumption has increased by 1.35 per cent per year over the last 15 years, reflecting the country’s strong demographic growth and the steady increase in cross-border workers.