Norway has adopted the Water Framework directive
and intends to achieve good ecological status in all
water bodies by 2021. The environmental condition
of Norwegian rivers and lakes are good compared to
those in most other countries in Europe. A preliminary
survey of the status of all Norwegian water bodies
shows that around 50 % probably will meet the EU
objectives/requirements for the freshwater environment,
while around a quarter are at risk with regards
to the requirements (Snellingen Bye et al., 2010). For
the remaining water bodies, data are not available or
their status is uncertain. Agriculture has been identified
as the third most important factor influencing the
status of Norwegian fresh water bodies.