Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019

Identifying future risks to water quality from pesticides

Collaborating with seven water companies, WRc analyses opportunities to combat the biggest single threat to raw water quality in the UK: pesticides.

More on how we target water pollution at its source

Detected

opportunities for clients to pre-empt problems before costly treatment solutions are required

Facilitated

in testing the adequacy of existing control measures to inform discussions with stakeholders

Secured

the fulfilment of regulatory reporting obligations to the drinking water quality regulator

Improved

the evidence base for business planning of future catchment management and treatment operations

7 UK Water Companies

Water treatment services are provided by multiple different water companies operating across different regions of the UK, each supplying drinking water for up to 15 million customers each.

Water companies are regulated by government regulators, such as the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI), in order to ensure they deliver efficient clean water within their area.

The Challenge

To achieve compliance with the Drinking Water Standard, water companies need to understand future trends in pesticide use so that they can take proactive steps to reduce water pollution in their source catchments. Companies use a variety of models to assess the risk of pesticide contamination, but these tools rely upon historical land use and usage data, and so are unable to predict how changes in farming (e.g., altering the type, location and timing of pesticide use) may give rise to new issues in the future.


The Solution

Working collaboratively with seven water companies and Reading Agricultural Consultants (RAC), WRc’s Catchment Management team looked at 15 possible future scenarios, including bans on selected pesticide products, climate change, shifts in cropping patterns, and changes in agricultural policy. This analysis revealed how the type, amount and timing of pesticide use on a variety of crops might change over the next 10 years. 

The findings were used to develop a spreadsheet tool, covering multiple pesticide and land types, that allows companies to predict how the level of risk will change in each of their source catchments.

Research and assessment driven by environmental evidence
Sustainable and cost-effective solutions through informed prediction
Enabling clients to proactively monitor and influence developments
Achievement through industry-wide collaboration and parnerships

Detected

opportunities for clients to pre-empt problems before costly treatment solutions are required

Facilitated

in testing the adequacy of existing control measures to inform discussions with stakeholders

Secured

the fulfilment of regulatory reporting obligations to the drinking water quality regulator

Improved

the evidence base for business planning of future catchment management and treatment operations

The WRc technical staff working on the project were very knowledgeable and thorough.

Portsmouth Water

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Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019

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