PESTEAUX: A project for building GIS-based tool for the assessment of water pollution risks at local scale due to pesticides.

peer reviewedDiffuse pollution of water resources due to pesticides uses is a major environmental issue in the European Union, regulated by specific legislations: the Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC) and the Thematic Strategy on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides. Solving this environmental problem requires methods and tools for spatial risk analysis, notably at a local scale (agricultural parcel level). This paper presents the first developments of a decision support system aiming to assess surface and ground waters pollution risks due to pesticides uses, based on a Geographic Information System (GIS). Different factors affecting pesticide environmental propagation are taken into account, as for example land use, pesticides properties and application modalities, environment characteristics (soil properties, topography, climate, …) as well as surface and ground waters characteristics. A pesticide emission model is used to assess pesticide leaching or runoff to water resources. The reference scale for risks assessment is the agricultural parcel. The quality of the results obtained will be assessed by comparison with existing water monitoring data and related studies.PESTEAUX: Mise au point d’un Système d’Information Géographique (SIG), à l’échelle de la parcelle, évaluant le risque de pollution des eaux par l’usage des pesticide