1.1.1.WATER RESOURCES Renewable water resources in Denmark total 6.1km3. The Skjern is the largest river in Denmark in terms of volume. It drains about one tenth of Denmark before discharging into the Ringkøbing Fjord, a bay of the North Sea near the town of Skjern. The river discharges 206m3/s of water into the sea. The Guden river, on the Jutland peninsula, is Denmark’s longest. It flows 176km from Tinnet Krat in Vejle County, between Nørre Snede and Tørring-Uldum, to Randers Fjord in Randers, on a course that takes it through central Jutland. On its way it traverses the lakeland waters of Sminge Sø (Lake Sminge), Silkeborg Langsø, Brassø, Borre Sø, Julsø, Biksø, Rye Mølle Sø, Gudensø, Mossø, Vestbirk Sø and Naldal Sø. In Jutland, the river Kongeå defines the border between North and South Jutland. The Kongeå rises southeast of Vejen and Vamdrup and after about 50km flows into the North Sea north of Ribe. The Odense river is located on the island of Funen, in central Denmark. It is about 60km long and is named after the Funish capital, Odense, which it passes by. The Vidå is a creek in Jutland, Denmark. The creek starts east of Tønder and flows to the west, ending in the North Sea. The Vidå forms part of the border between Denmark and Germany. The 83km-long Suså River, Zealand’s largest waterway and longest river, runs into Lake Tystrup, the 8th largest lake in Denmark.

1.1.2.WATER USE Total water consumption in Denmark is almost 1,000 million m3 per year, which comes entirely from groundwater. This compares to an estimated resource of 1,800 million m3 groundwater per year. About one third is consumed by households, one third by agriculture and market gardens, and one third by industry and institutions. Some industries buy water from the public network, while others pump their own water. Household water use in Denmark stood at 116L/capita/day in 2006. Since 1989, household consumption has declined 26 per cent. The water savings resulted from new installations (e.g. shower and toilets), water saving campaigns and a higher awareness of the environment among consumers, combined with a rise in water prices. Total water withdrawals are 1.27km3/yr, corresponding to: •agricultural use, 43 per cent; •domestic use, 32 per cent; •industrial use, 25 per cent.

1.2.WATER QUALITY, ECOSYSTEMS AND HUMAN HEALTH Denmark’s major environmental problems are: air pollution, principally from vehicle and power plant emissions; nitrogen and phosphorus pollution of the North Sea; drinking and surface water becoming polluted from animal wastes and pesticides. An urgent problem concerning groundwater is toxic leaching from waste dumps and old industrial sites. The regional authorities are actively searching for the location of these sites before serious damage is caused. Further, Danish planning rules concentrate activities with the potential for causing pollution in areas where the water resources are the least vulnerable.

(Water Risk Filter)