Vulnerable areas — History

Vulnerable areas are the land designated in accordance with Article 3(2) of European Directive No 91-676 whose objectives set out in its first article are to reduce pollution of water caused or induced by nitrates from agricultural sources, and to prevent any further pollution of this type.

A vulnerable area is a part of the territory where water pollution by direct or indirect discharge of nitrates of agricultural origin or other nitrogen compounds that may become nitrates threatens in the short term the quality of aquatic environments and, in particular, the supply of drinking water.

Vulnerable areas shall be considered as vulnerable areas where:
— Groundwater and surface fresh water, in particular those used or intended for water abstraction for human consumption, with a nitrate content exceeding 50 milligrams per litre,
— The waters of estuaries, coastal and marine waters and surface fresh waters which undergo eutrophication to which the enrichment of the water with nitrogen compounds from agricultural sources contributes.

An action programme shall be implemented in each department concerned, setting out the requirements to be complied with by all farmers in the corresponding vulnerable area. They are constructed in consultation with all relevant stakeholders, based on a local diagnosis. They aim to correct the most pollution-generating practices.
Outside vulnerable areas, a national code of good agricultural practice is voluntary.

Each vulnerable area corresponds to a prefectural decree (coordinating basin prefect) after the opinion of the departmental council of Hygiene, the general and regional council and the basin committee. Vulnerable areas shall be reviewed at least every 4 years.
This decree is the founding regulatory text of the vulnerable area.

The perimeter of vulnerable areas is defined by basin administrative division according to 2 methods:
1) Municipal boundaries: It covers the boundary of the set of designated municipalities in vulnerable areas.
(2) Cadastral limits (infra-communal): It covers the cadastral sections selected for municipalities designated in vulnerable areas.

In the event that a subsequent order completes the previous order, only the date of the last order will be retained.

The list of vulnerable areas is established under the responsibility of the basin DREALs.
Multipolygons and hole polygons are allowed.