ABSTRACT
The Environmental Inspectorate Division (EID) is the most important enforcement body for environmental health legislation in the Flemish region (Belgium). Groundwater levels in Flanders are falling in different regions and aquifers. Groundwater is extracted from the different regional aquifers at different depths. The EID is responsible for enforcement of the legislation for the largest (category 1) groundwater extractions as well as all groundwater extractions of companies with the highest environmental impact. Two hundred and ninety groundwater extractions were thoroughly checked in the field for their compliance with the applicable regulations. The percentage of companies with groundwater-related deficiencies dropped from 82% in 2005 to 67% in 2009. At the same time the average number of deficiencies per company increased. Most deficiencies are related to poor construction or maintenance of the production wells as well as poor monitoring of the extraction. The lack of an accreditation process for drilling companies in Flanders causes a lack of assurance that the installation complies with the best available techniques and regulations. Since the available heat in the Flemish underground will be used more and more as a renewable energy source the EID aims for implementation of this accreditation process linked to close on-site monitoring and inspection.
