This document discusses farming practices and their impact on drinking water quality in the UK. It provides information on water company obligations to supply clean water and current challenges with pesticides, nutrients and sediment affecting water quality. Catchment management approaches are presented as a potential solution, alongside other options like treatment and abstraction management. Current initiatives to improve water quality through safeguard zones and risk mapping are described. Farmers are encouraged to check if they farm in a drinking water catchment and follow best practices to consider risks to water quality from their fields and operations.

1. 1
Farming and drinking
water
Simon Eyre
Source Protection Manager
Anglian Water
Farm Business Update
19th February 2014

2. 2
Farming and drinking
water
• Water quality update
• Role for catchment approaches
• Current initiatives
• What does it mean for you?

3. 3
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

4. 4
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. 5
Where are we now?
Key water quality issues
• Pesticides – metaldehyde,
clopyralid, propyzamide,
carbetamide
• Nutrients – nitrate, phosphorus
• Sediment

6. 6
Where are we now?

7. 7
Where are we now?

8. 8
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……….

9. 9
Abstraction management

10. 10
Current initiatives / projects
• Safeguard Zones
• Possible mitigation measures
• Risk mapping

11. 11
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
Extract from WIYBY
Abbots Ripton

12. 12
Possible mitigation measures
Cultural controls
Responsible use
Reduce usage
Reduced active ingredient formulations
Non-metaldehyde products
Biobeds
Rural SuDS Buffer strips Instream treatment
WRc report – Oct 2013

13. 13
Assess the Risk: Slug trapping
Actions for Winter OSR:
• Trap to assess slug activity just before, or after, cereal harvest
• Use trap catches, weather and cultivation data to assess slug damage risk
• Cultivate to reduce risk of slug attack
• If risk is high, broadcast slug pellets as soon as possible after drilling
• Monitor crops throughout the early susceptible growth stages
Traps key to assessing risk and
need for pellets
HGCA Topic Sheets on
Integrated Slug Control:
• Winter Wheat No.84
• Winter Oil Seed Rape No.85

14. 14
Risk mapping
• Field scale risk –
• Soil type
• Slope
• Distance from water
• Modify advice and
metaldehyde use in higher
risk areas

15. 15
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 adviser help available

16. 16
Any questions?
Contacts:
Anglian Water – Simon Eyre – seyre@anglianwater.co.uk
Essex & Suffolk Water – Claire Lorenc – claire.lorenc@nwl.co.uk
Affinity Water – Alister Leggatt - alister.leggatt@affinitywater.co.uk