Pollutants in surface water

This refers to the total quantity of a substance that enters surface water through direct discharges from businesses in industry and agriculture, households and sewage treatment plants, through run-off from agricultural land and natural land and atmospheric deposition from the air. In this news release, pollutants in the Dutch part of the continental shelf (NCP) of the North Sea, which is caused by atmospheric deposition and maritime shipping, is not included in these totals.