Nitrates from nitrogen fertilizers, and especially from animal waste, can pollute water if the amounts are too large to be absorbed by plants.
The European directive, which defines drinking water quality standards, defines a limit that cannot be exceeded. But “in France, the maximum concentration of nitrates associated with drinking water supplied to part of the population has been exceeded for a long time,” the Commission explains.
107 zones in seven districts
According to Brussels, 107 distribution zones are affected in seven regions out of thirteen regions in mainland France: Burgundy-Franche-Comté, Centre-Val de Loire, Grand Est, Hauts-de-France, Île-de-France, Occitanie and Pays de la Loire.
The Commission already sent a letter of formal notice to France in October 2020, followed by a reasoned opinion in February 2023. But “the efforts made by the French authorities so far are not enough to fully respond to the complaints,” the EU believes.