Data sources

Data on emissions to water from diffuse sources are based on the material that is reported by Sweden to the European Environmental Agency (EEA) and the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) through the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management. Data that is presented here should be viewed as a typical year during the period 2005 to 2011.  

The most recent data regarding diffuse emissions of metals was produced within the project ”Gross water load by metals from point sources and diffuse sources” for the reporting to the EEA Emissions, which was done in 2011. Within the project, data for the emission year 2008 or earlier was presented, depending on emission source and data availability. The report, which includes more information on the project, is published on the SMED website (Swedish Environmental Emissions Data), see the box ”Further information” to the right on this page. 

Data on load of nutrients on water were produced for “The Assessment of the National Environmental Objective "Zero Eutrophication" (2011) and include data for emission year 2009. The methodology is the same as the one used for the reporting to HELCOM’s the Fifth Baltic Sea Pollution Load Compilation (PLC5). For comparison, emissions from point sources, waste water treatment plants and industries are also presented for the same emission year. For further information, see the box to the right on this page. 

During the development of this webpage, a new assessment of the National Environmental Objective "Zero Eutrophication" with the reference year 2011 was published, which includes somewhat more current data. This data are found on the SMED website, see the box ”Further information”.  

The term ”load” is used to describe the amount of a substance that reaches the water (a lake, a watercourse or coastal waters) through leaching from various soil types, direct deposition on water, stormwater or emissions from point sources (also called gross load). The net load, the amount that reaches the sea after retention is not included in this presentation.

In the long term, data on emissions to water on the website ”Swedish Pollutant Release and Transfer Register” will be regularly updated. The updates will be performed with the same frequency as for the reportings to the EEA and HELCOM. Data for nutrients will be updated in 2016 and every fourth year thereafter. However, it is not yet determined when the next update on diffuse emissions of metals will occur. 

Annual data on emissions of PRTR substances (Pollutant Release and Transfer Register) from point sources to water are retrieved by using the existing search functions on the website ”Swedish Pollutant Release and Transfer Register”.