WATER POLLUTION IN DENMARK A REVIEW WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO FRESHWATER RESOURCES
Most Danish lakes and rivers are seriously eutrophicated and still greater areas of the coastal waters show oxygen depletion in the bottom layers during summer periods. Nitrogen washout from farmland and nitrogen, phosphorus and organic matter originating from domestic and industrial sewage, both contribute to increased phytoplankton and periphyton production and oxygen demands for decomposition. This paper provides a brief survey of the pollutionary state of surface and ground water resources in Denmark. It further describes the means by which the parliament intends to reduce the amount of nutrients and organic matter led to the sea and to secure a tolerable impact on inland nature and water resources. We finally focus on the need for European cooperation in order to improve the quality and the living conditions in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.