Le système d'évaluation de la qualité des eaux souterraines " SEQ - Eaux souterraines "

The system of evaluation of the quality of groudwaters "SEQ - groundwaters"

Agence de l'eau Rhône-Méditerranée-Corse, 2-4 allée de Lodz, 69363 Lyon Cedex 07

Abstract

At the beginning of the years 1990, the Water Agencies and the Department of the Environment wished to harmonize, modernize and enrich the systems of evaluation of the quality of the aquatic environments. Today, a national tool of reference is proposed for underground waters. It makes it possible to define the aptitude of a water to satisfy various uses or functions, selected according to their importance, and in addition, to express the amplitude of the physicochemical modifications of a water in its lodging under the pressure of the human activities ("patrimonial state"). The quality of water is declined by classes according to the traditional representation with 5 colors (blue, green, yellow, orange and red).