Europe Groundwater Map — EU Aquifer Status Tracker
Official chemical & quantitative status of 12,000+ groundwater bodies · EEA WISE / Water Framework Directive · click any aquifer to inspect it
Status view
Country
Largest bodies
● LIVE DATA
Chemical status
—
EU-wide
good status
poor status
unknown / unreported
selected body
EEA / WISE WFD 2022 reporting
💧 Selected groundwater body
What you see: every EU groundwater body coloured by its official status from the EEA’s WISE (Water Information System for Europe) services — the dataset countries report under the Water Framework Directive (3rd river basin management plans, 2022 cycle). Chemical = pollution (nitrates, pesticides…); Quantitative = over-abstraction. Click anywhere on the map to inspect the aquifer beneath that point — some locations have several stacked bodies at different depths. Status is assessed in 6-year cycles, not in real time.
Europe’s groundwater, mapped
Groundwater supplies about 65% of Europe’s drinking water and a quarter of its irrigation, yet it is invisible — until it is polluted or runs low. This free Europe groundwater map shows the official EU assessment of more than 12,000 groundwater bodies: their chemical status (is it polluted?) and quantitative status (is more being pumped out than nature puts back?). The data comes straight from the European Environment Agency’s WISE map services, reported by every member state under the Water Framework Directive.
How to use the map
Switch between Chemical and Quantitative status with the buttons. Pick a country to fly there and see its live good/poor statistics computed from the EEA dataset, and use Largest bodies to jump to a country’s biggest aquifers. Click anywhere on the map to open the detail panel: geology, size with real-world comparisons, both status assessments with confidence levels, pollution-risk flags, the deadline for reaching good status, and live 7-day rainfall at that location as recharge context. Press Fullscreen for a wall-display view with all controls available.
Frequently asked questions
What is a groundwater body?
A groundwater body is the EU’s management unit for underground water: a distinct volume of water within one or more aquifers, delineated by each country under the Water Framework Directive. Europe has over 12,000 of them, from small chalk aquifers to basins spanning thousands of square kilometres. Each one gets an official status assessment every 6 years.
What do chemical and quantitative status mean?
Chemical status is about pollution: a body is Poor if pollutants like nitrates or pesticides exceed EU standards. Quantitative status is about volume: Poor means more water is abstracted than nature recharges, causing falling water tables or damaged ecosystems. A body needs both to be Good to be considered healthy.
Where does the groundwater data come from?
Directly from the European Environment Agency’s WISE map services — the official dataset reported by EU member states under the Water Framework Directive for the third River Basin Management Plans (2022 reporting cycle). No API key required; the map loads the same layers the EEA uses.
How current is the groundwater status data?
The status is from the third River Basin Management Plan cycle, reported around 2022, based on monitoring from roughly 2016–2021. Groundwater changes slowly and the EU assesses it in 6-year cycles, so this is the most recent official pan-European assessment; the next is due in 2027.
Why is chemical status poor in so many regions?
The dominant cause is nitrate from fertilisers and manure, followed by pesticides. Aquifers recharge very slowly, so decades of intensive farming keep polluting them long after inputs stop. Clusters of poor status show up in intensive-agriculture regions — parts of Flanders, the Netherlands, the Po Valley, Brittany, eastern Spain.
What causes poor quantitative status?
Over-abstraction: pumping more than rain and rivers recharge. Irrigation is the biggest driver, especially around the Mediterranean, followed by drinking water and industry. Consequences include dried-out wetlands, saltwater intrusion near coasts, and worse droughts.
How much of Europe’s groundwater is in good status?
By area, roughly 77% achieves good chemical status and about 91% good quantitative status in the 2022 reporting — but that still leaves vast areas over polluted or over-used aquifers, and groundwater supplies about 65% of Europe’s drinking water. The status box shows live counts computed from the EEA dataset, per country.
What is the Water Framework Directive (WFD)?
The WFD (2000/60/EC) is the EU’s central water law. It requires member states to map all water bodies, monitor them, assess status every 6 years in River Basin Management Plans, and take measures to reach good status. It covers rivers, lakes, coastal waters and — uniquely at this scale — groundwater.
Can I see the aquifer under my house?
Yes — zoom in and click anywhere on the map. The panel shows the groundwater body at that location: name, EU code, geology, size, both status assessments, pollution-risk flags, confidence, and the deadline for reaching good status. Some locations have several stacked bodies (horizons) at different depths.
Is this groundwater map free to use?
Yes, completely free — no account, no API key, no ads. It runs entirely in your browser, loading public EEA/WISE map services, and is one of the free browser tools at jasperbernaers.com.