In the new Dutch decision tree for the evaluation of pesticide leaching from soils, leaching to the shallow groundwater is assessed with the spatially distributed model GeoPEARL. The relative vulnerability of the groundwater in the drinking water abstraction areas is estimated. The general conclusion is that the groundwater within the drinking water abstraction areas as a whole is up to five times more vulnerable to pesticide leaching than the groundwater in Dutch agriculture. The higher vulnerability of the groundwater in the drinking water abstraction areas is primarily caused by lower soil organic matter contents