#12: Aalborg municipality

In the Aalborg area, the municipality and the local waterworks have implemented measures for the protection of groundwater resources against nitrate and pesticide contamination, aimed at reducing their use. Farmers get paid by the waterworks/consumers to change the land use. If the farmers and the waterworks cannot agree on a specific land use and/or compensation, the municipality will require the farmers to do so. It has been a successful measure for the past 15 years. However, today it is difficult to make agreements on groundwater protection based on voluntary measures, probably due to disagreement on the need for the implementation of additional groundwater protection. Afforestation has also been a successful measure for groundwater protection.
The challenge is to improve the collaboration between farmers and the waterworks so that a common understanding and acceptance on the protection of groundwater can be found. The aim is for a national understanding on how to find balanced solutions, which benefit both farmers and the waterworks.