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THE DYNAMICS OF GROUNDWATER USE, WATER ABSTRACTION CHARGES AND WATER TARIFFS IN ESTONIA
Abstract
The water supply of the majority of Estonian settlements and enterprises is covered by groundwater, only two cities, Tallinn and Narva, are using surface water as a source of domestic water. Approximately 89% of the residents of Estonia use water from the public water supply systems. The water abstraction in Estonia diminished constantly in the 1990s, reaching the level of 130 million m?/y. During the last ten years, water abstraction has been fairly stable - groundwater in the range of 45-50 million m?/y and surface water 50-80 million m?/y. The amount of the industrial and agricultural water has decreased in comparison to the beginning of the 1990s by four and seven times, respectively, which is caused by using sustainable production technology, reuse of water and decrease of agricultural activities. Remarkable decrease in domestic water use is caused by the increase in the price of water, resulting in a more sustainable usage of drinking water by the population and the reduction of the leakage from the water supply systems. Companies and individuals who wish to abstract a groundwater over 5 m3/d must apply for a permit for the special use of water and pay the water abstraction charge. During the last 25 years the water abstraction charges paid by the water companies as well as the water tariffs for the consumers have been increased simultaneously. The relationships between the water consumption, water abstraction charges, water tariffs and population income in Estonia are discussed in this paper. The study is based on the databases of Estonian Environment Agency, Health Board, Estonian Water Works Association and Statistics Estonia.
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