Conference highlights need for catchment management solutions

(06/02/2009)

Catchment management plans will be vital if the UK is to improve water quality and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, according to scientists from ADAS speaking at the consultancy’s Water Concerns conference held last week.

The conference, organised by leading environmental consultancy ADAS, was well-attended and brought together regulators, delegates from most of the country’s water companies and some of the UK’s top water quality scientists and policy advisers in a showcase event to tackle the serious problem of diffuse pollution head-on.

In presentations from Chris Ryder, Head of Water Quality at Defra, Claire Pollard, Principal Inspector at the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI), Kevin Ridout, Deputy Head of Environment and Water Quality at Ofwat, Alison Tytherleigh, Delivery Manager at Natural England, Luke de Vial, Head of Water Quality at Wessex Water and leading ADAS scientists, delegates heard that diffuse pollution must be tackled at source, as many traditional end-of-pipe treatments are no longer sustainable or cost-effective.

The problem of diffuse pollution costs the water industry an estimated £250m a year,” explained Dr Chris Fawcett, Technical Services Manager at ADAS. "In addition to the water quality challenges this presents to the water companies, diffuse pollutants can have an impact on the ecological, aesthetic and economic aspects of water resources."

Chris Ryder, Head of Water Quality at Defra, explained that the challenge for water companies now is to not only continue to meet their water quality and environmental objectives, but also to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that result from intensive end-of-pipe treatments, as outlined in Defra’s ‘Future Water’ strategy. The industry currently contributes one per cent of the UK’s emissions.

Key to achieving this will be continuing engagement with the UK farming industry. Agriculture is the single biggest source of diffuse pollution, contributing 70 per cent of the nitrates found in water. Pesticides that have been applied to crops, Nitrate and Phosphorous contained in both fertiliser and livestock manure are all pollutants that can all be mobilised following events such as heavy rainfall.

“End-of-pipe solutions can be ineffective around key events such as spraying periods, as pollution may exceed treatment capacity,” explained Dr Paul Fogg, Principal Research Scientist at ADAS. “Furthermore, the pesticide Metaldehyde, which has been found in catchments across the country, cannot be treated with traditional methods.

“In comparison, there are relatively simple mitigation methods which can be employed by farmers to help prevent pollutants from entering the water system. Measures such as biobeds, buffer zones and beetle banks and closed periods and cut-off dates are all non-capital intensive measures which treat the cause of the problem rather than the symptom.”

However, the conference acknowledged the difficulties in balancing the protection of water quality with the pressures on farmers to increase efficiency and production.

Claire Pollard, Principal Inspector at the DWI and Kevin Ridout, Deputy Head of Environment and Water Quality at Ofwat, admitted that relatively few catchment management proposals had been submitted in companies' draft business plans for PR09, although a small number were for combined catchment solutions with end-of-pipe treatments, using the former as a secondary measure of control.

The primary reasons for this were a lack of understanding among stakeholders, a culture of short term fixes which focus on cure rather than prevention, and limited awareness of the different solutions available.

Speakers highlighted that one of the ways that water companies can engage with farmers is by working with Natural England and programmes such as the England Catchment Sensitive Farming Delivery Initiative (ECSFDI) to offer a range of positive solutions and properly targeted incentives.

Scientists from ADAS also outlined state of the art modelling techniques available from the consultancy which can be used as part of catchment management solutions.

“The simulation models are driven using high resolution datasets, many unique to ADAS and produced using our unrivalled expert knowledge of the UK’s agricultural industries, and can enable water companies to predict when and where pollutant levels exceed water quality requirements,” explained Greg Hughes, Principal Scientist at ADAS. “Companies can then target resources accordingly, which reduces sampling, water supply and treatment costs.”

For more information on the conference or ADAS’s catchment management and modelling services, contact Colin Reith, ADAS Water Sector Manager, on 01773 822733, or email Colin.Reith@adas.co.uk.

Related categories:  Climate change and global warming   Pollution control technologies   Wildlife protection