1

Farming and drinking

water

Teresa Meadows

Chelmer and Blackwater Catchment Advisor

Essex & Suffolk Water

Farm Business Update

4th February 2014

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Farming and drinking

water

• Water quality update

• Role for catchment approaches

• Current initiatives

• What does it mean for you?

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Water company water supply areas

Anglian Water –

• 4.3m customers

Essex & Suffolk Water –

• 1.8m customers

Affinity Water –

• 3.3m customers

Cambridge Water –

• 315,000 customers

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Water company obligations

• To supply ‘wholesome’ water

• Meet stringent drinking water

quality standards

• Find a balance of solutions for

each affected treatment works, at

a cost acceptable to customers

and economic regulator

5

Where are we now?

Key water quality issues

• Pesticides – metaldehyde,

clopyralid, propyzamide,

carbetamide

• Nutrients – nitrate, phosphorus

• Sediment

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Where are we now?

7

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

01-Jan-04 01-Jan-05 01-Jan-06 01-Jan-07 01-Jan-08 01-Jan-09 01-Jan-10 01-Jan-11 01-Jan-12 01-Jan-13 01-Jan-14

Nit

rate

(m

g/l)

Nitrate - River Blackwater at Langford

Where are we now?

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The role for catchment approaches?

• Will need to use all available options

• Treatment –

• Ion exchange (nitrate removal)

• Ozonation & Granular Activated Carbon

• Abstraction management –

• Limited scope

• Blending –

• Nitrates, pesticides

• Catchment management……….

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Abstraction management

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Current initiatives / projects

• Safeguard Zones

• Possible mitigation measures

• Risk mapping

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Safeguard Zones

• Areas where land use

is known to reduce

water quality in rivers

used for drinking

water supply

• Actions targeted to

improve water quality

• www.wiyby.co.uk

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Possible mitigation measures

Cultural controls Responsible use

Reduce usage

Reduced a i formulations Non-metaldehyde products

Bunded sprayer filling areas, inc. biobeds/biofilters

Rural SuDS Buffer strips Instream treatment

WRc report – Oct 2013

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Slug trapping

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Risk mapping

• Field scale risk –

• Soil type

• Slope

• Distance from water

• Modification of advice and

metaldehyde use in high risk

areas

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What does this mean for you?

• Check if you farm in a drinking water catchment

– www.wiyby.co.uk

• Follow Tried & Tested, MSG & VI best practice advice

– www.nutrientmanagement.org www.getpelletwise.org.uk

– www.voluntaryinitiative.org.uk

• Consider field by field risk on your farm –

• Test slug pressure by trapping

• High run-off risk = cracking clay soils, under-drains, sloping

fields, bordered by ditches & watercourses

• Consider additional measures in highest risk fields

• Don’t forget the farmyard

• CSF / Water Company Advisor help available

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Any questions?

Contacts:

Chelmer and Blackwater Catchment – Teresa Meadows – 07792 169545

Anglian Water – Simon Eyre – seyre@anglianwater.co.uk

Affinity Water – Alister Leggatt - alister.leggatt@affinitywater.co.uk