Welcome to Watershed's maps
We collate enormous amounts of information as part of our investigations and we map as much as we can to make it available for anyone to use.
We collate enormous amounts of information as part of our investigations and we map as much as we can to make it available for anyone to use.
Best viewed on a large screen.
The Water Security Atlas reveals pressures on rivers, lakes and groundwater across the world that endanger supplies for people and wildlife.
It shows: water stressed zones, satellite data, major water users, pollution data, population density, flood zones, displaced people, water-related conflicts and more…
Best viewed on a large screen.
The WATERSHED Pollution Map reveals a huge range of potential pollution sources that can harm rivers, lakes, groundwater, coasts and more.
It shows: river, lake and groundwater health | bathing water health | damaged and protected waters | sewage dumping | chemical pollution | urban and road pollution | substances being discharged into waters | years of Environment Agency sampling results | intensive pig and chicken farms | intensity of cattle farming | landfills, waste sites and contaminated land | big industrial sites | political constituencies for 2024 and 2019 | flood risk | economic deprivation
Best viewed on a large screen.
The European Landfill Map pinpoints more than 60,000 landfill sites and lets users overlay this with data on flood zones, coastal erosion, drinking water supplies, chemically failing groundwater, and conservation areas. It highlights which landfills may be vulnerable to flooding or erosion and how they could be contributing to water pollution.
Across the EU and the UK there are estimated to be up to 500,000 landfills, with roughly 90% established before pollution control regulations mandated safety measures, such as landfill linings to prevent leaching. In the UK, these are classified as “historic” sites, while modern, well‑managed landfills are considered lower risk. For Europe, however, data is lacking—so it’s unclear whether sites labelled historic are simply closed, or if they were established before regulations came into force.
EU bodies do not maintain centralised landfill records, and information from individual member states is fragmented, inconsistent, and often difficult to access. As a result, countries such as the UK appear to have more landfills simply because their reporting is more comprehensive. You can find the source of every dataset in the menu on the left.
NOTE: This dataset may contain duplicate records. Duplicates can arise from multiple data sources, repeated entries, or variations in data collection processes. While efforts have been made to identify and reduce duplication, some records may remain. The publisher of this dataset assumes no responsibility for any misinterpretation or analytical errors resulting from duplicate records.
Here’s a short video showing you how to use our maps.
You can help us do more of this work by donating to WATERSHED. We use Gift Aid to help maximise whatever amount you’re able to donate.
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