VEEKAITSEST PANDIVERE JA ADAVERE-PÕLTSAMAA NITRAADITUNDLIKUL ALAL

The report examines water protection in Estonia's Pandivere and Adavere-Põltsamaa nitrate-vulnerable zones (NVZ), highlighting a disconnect between administrative water management plans and agricultural policy. While groundwater generally remains below the 50 mg/l nitrate limit, 45% of surface water bodies in the NVZ are in moderate or poor condition. A survey of 52 farmers reveals that while they acknowledge the impact of point-source pollution (e.g., manure storage), they are skeptical about the impact of diffuse pollution from fertilizer quantities and feel that NVZ restrictions create an unfair economic disadvantage compared to farmers outside these zones.

• The water protection framework in the Pandivere and Adavere-Põltsamaa NVZ is administratively complex and fragmented, with the NVZ action plan not being integrated with the river basin management plans (VMK).
• Surface water quality in the NVZ is problematic, with 45% of water bodies classified as being in moderate or poor condition.
• Groundwater nitrate levels generally stay below the 50 mg/l drinking water limit, though some farm wells in the Adavere-Põltsamaa region exceeded this limit in 2011.
• Agricultural producers in the NVZ perceive a lack of fairness, believing that the restrictions on fertilizer use lead to lower yields and income compared to farmers outside the NVZ.
• Farmers identify point-source pollution, specifically the lack of leak-proof manure storage, as the most critical threat to water quality and the most urgent area for financial support.
• There is a significant gap in the perception of diffuse pollution; while experts emphasize it, farmers believe that the quantity of fertilizer used on fields is not a major driver of water pollution.
• The implementation of the 2009–2011 NVZ action plan was insufficient, with only about a quarter of the planned measures fully executed in the intended volume and timeframe.
• Analysis of river basin management plans shows that only 12% of the total cost of all measures is allocated to limiting agricultural diffuse pollution.

APA

Sall, M., Peterson, K., & Kuldna, P. (2012). VEEKAITSEST PANDIVERE JA ADAVERE-PÕLTSAMAA NITRAADITUNDLIKUL ALAL. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4422.pdf

Chicago

Sall, Marit, Kaja Peterson, and Piret Kuldna. VEEKAITSEST PANDIVERE JA ADAVERE-PÕLTSAMAA NITRAADITUNDLIKUL ALAL. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2012. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4422.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Sall |first1=Marit |last2=Peterson |first2=Kaja |last3=Kuldna |first3=Piret |title=VEEKAITSEST PANDIVERE JA ADAVERE-PÕLTSAMAA NITRAADITUNDLIKUL ALAL |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2012 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4422.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sall2012veekaitsest, author = {Sall, Marit and Peterson, Kaja and Kuldna, Piret}, title = {{VEEKAITSEST PANDIVERE JA ADAVERE-PÕLTSAMAA NITRAADITUNDLIKUL ALAL}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2012}, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4422.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }