Marko Vainu, a researcher and geoecologist at Tallinn University, said on the program "Ökoskoop" that the main issues affecting standing bodies of water and the coastal sea continue to stem from nutrient overload. "The signs of eutrophication — whether it's an overgrowth of microalgae or phytoplankton or excessive aquatic vegetation — are the main problems we see in lakes and the coastal sea," he said.

Estonia monitors the condition of lakes, rivers and the coastal sea. More than 90 major lakes and 600 flowing water bodies are under surveillance. "As for the lakes, according to the latest data, about one-quarter of those monitored are in good condition, while the rest are either in moderate or poor condition. The situation is a bit better for rivers — about two-thirds are in good condition, with the remainder in moderate shape," said Vainu.

The two main nutrients driving eutrophication are phosphorus and nitrogen. The former mainly comes from wastewater, while the latter originates from forestry but to a much greater extent from agriculture. "To harvest crops from the field, you need to use fertilizers, which include both nitrogen and phosphorus. The nitrogen fertilizers are primarily in the form of nitrates," he said.

According to Vainu, calculations show that nearly €27 million worth of nitrogen applied to fields ends up in water bodies each year. In other words, this causes harm both to the environment and to farmers.

"The problem with nitrate is that soil doesn't retain it. If it's applied to a field and not taken up by crops, it seeps into the groundwater or reaches water bodies via drainage systems. The issue is that fertilizers are sometimes applied when crops can't absorb them efficiently or are overapplied in areas where the expected yield will never match the amount of fertilizer used," he explained.

Meelis Värnik, an agronomist and crop production specialist at the KEVILI farmers' cooperative, said that today's more environmentally conscious and calculating farmers try to avoid this and reduce leaching risks.

"We try to stay a step ahead with fertilization, taking nature into account. If we see that weather conditions in the coming weeks could favor plant growth, we apply fertilizer. But it might turn out that the next three or four weeks are very dry and we've put more nutrients into the soil than we'll actually remove with the harvest. Farmers now actively calculate how to recapture those nutrients, for example by planting winter crops in the fall to make the most of what's left in the soil," said Värnik.

"This is a very significant financial outlay. Fertilizer prices have risen sharply compared to grain prices. Right now, it costs significantly more than it did six, seven or eight years ago," he said.

"At the same time, technological advancements have made manure use increasingly efficient. We can now better utilize those nutrients and process manure — a byproduct of livestock farming — in crop production in a way that minimizes the need for purchased mineral fertilizers. That's the direction we're heading," Värnik added.

Still, he acknowledged that progress in the sector is slow. "The financial situation across the entire sector isn't particularly positive right now, and in recent years, it's mostly been running at a loss," Värnik said.

Water most at risk in areas sensitive to nitrates

Ann Riisenberg, an adviser in the Climate Ministry's water department, said that the European Union's Nitrates Directive has been transposed into Estonia's Water Act. The law clearly spells out the water protection requirements imposed on agriculture. "Farmers must know when they are allowed to apply different types of fertilizers — both mineral fertilizers and manure — how much nitrogen fertilizer they can use and where fertilizer use is prohibited," she explained.

The state has also established separate regulations for fertilization in areas with unprotected groundwater, where water moves quickly through the soil and can reach the groundwater. "We've introduced additional restrictions on agricultural activity in those areas. There are a great many rules farmers have to follow — it's not just one or two, but an impressive number," she said.

According to Marko Vainu, Estonia currently has one designated nitrate-sensitive area under the directive. It includes the Pandivere Upland and the areas around Adavere and Põltsamaa. "There are two main indicators here: groundwater and surface water. Areas must be classified as nitrate-sensitive for groundwater if nitrate levels are at or may rise above 50 milligrams per liter," he said.

The threshold for surface water is much stricter. It must not undergo eutrophication. "Since the nitrogen limit for eutrophication in surface water is much lower than the 50 mg nitrate threshold, we actually have far more surface water bodies at risk of eutrophication than groundwater areas exceeding 50 mg," he explained.

Vainu has taken water samples in nitrate-sensitive areas himself and said the situation is currently very serious. "The issue is most apparent in karst lakes," he said. These temporary lakes fill with water each spring as snow melts, causing the groundwater level to rise above the lakebed and then dry out again later in the year.

"Basically, there should be no plowed agriculture involving fertilizer application within these areas. Grazing livestock is fine. This year, we took samples from several lakes in the Pandivere in early February, and in some cases, nitrate levels were colossal. The first water entering these lakes via groundwater was extremely rich in nitrates," he said.

The state has also monitored spring water sources. Six springs have been under observation since the early 1980s. Vainu recalled that nitrate levels were very high in the early 80s, began to decline in the early 90s and reached their lowest point in the early 2000s.

"But as soon as we joined the European Union and agricultural subsidies became available, nitrate levels started to rise again. At this point, they are nearly as high as they were in the early 1980s, when there was complete disorder in fertilizer use. The situation is quite dire — and this in a nitrate-sensitive area where some restrictions are already in place," Vainu said.

He believes protecting water would be simpler if the nitrate-sensitive zone were expanded to cover all of Estonia. "Last year, we conducted a study in which we proposed more than 20 new large and small areas. The state is required to reassess the situation every four years, and if new problem areas emerge, the nitrate-sensitive zone should be expanded," he said.

In his view, the simplest solution would be to declare all of Estonia a nitrate-sensitive area. "That doesn't mean that the same restrictions would apply everywhere. They would depend on how well protected the local groundwater is. Still, in the long run, it would actually be easier this way," he noted.

Meelis Värnik said that each new regulation makes life more complicated for farmers. "Farmers must be able to navigate these rules with great precision. Some regulations require investing in technological capabilities that allow for even more precise site-specific fertilization and a better understanding of the yield potential of individual parts of a field," he explained.

"There are also regulations where I don't see much positive impact. The main effect seems to be more administrative burden for farmers, rather than tangible results for the aquatic environment," Värnik noted. He added that the economic side must not be forgotten — meaning which measures are actually feasible and which are not. Some may only become realistic five or six years from now.

State should make fertilizer tracking easier for farmers

To reduce the amount of excess nutrients entering water bodies, fertilizer use needs to be planned with even greater precision. Ann Riisenberg explained that a nutrient balance calculator has been developed to help farmers do just that. "The balance calculator can be compared to a company's income statement. Figuratively speaking, we assess how many nutrients we put into the soil and then, after harvesting the field, we can determine whether we came out in the black or the red in terms of nutrients," she said.

Riisenberg noted that nutrients left in the environment — especially nitrogen — are highly mobile. "If they remain in the soil through the autumn and winter, and we have no snow cover, the ground doesn't freeze and it rains continuously, there's a very high chance that by spring there won't be a single gram of that fertilizer left in the soil. For the farmer, that means it's simply lost," she said.

According to Riisenberg, the calculator isn't yet in widespread use. "It's a relatively new practice, especially this kind of field-by-field nutrient accounting. What the state is doing now is trying to make the process of balance accounting as simple as possible," she said. In her view, the calculator could also help reduce bureaucracy. If fertilizer use, the specific field and the harvest quantity are recorded in the electronic field book, the system could automatically calculate the nutrient balance.

"Neither a strongly positive nor a strongly negative balance is the goal. Ideally, it should be slightly positive or slightly negative — but you should never expect a perfect zero from nature," Riisenberg explained.

Marko Vainu also emphasized the importance of nutrient balance accounting in order to reduce nutrient runoff from fields into water bodies. Still, he remains optimistic about the future of Estonia's water quality. Reducing nutrient leaching benefits both environmental protection and farmers themselves.

"At the very least, we should aim for a situation where nitrate levels in groundwater are no longer above 50 milligrams per liter anywhere. Whether eutrophication of surface water can be fully eliminated is more doubtful. In some areas, the problem is very serious. But I'm still optimistic that things will improve," Vainu said.

This article was produced as part of the LIFE IP CleanEst project with support from the European Union's LIFE program. LIFE IP CleanEST is an integrated water management project focused on improving the condition of water bodies in Ida-Viru and Lääne-Viru counties. For more information, visit the project's official website.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!