Farm Business Update 2014 presentation of Affinity Water taken from the Affinity Water Head Office Event.

1. 1
Farming and drinking
water
Alister Leggatt
Catchment Officer
Affinity Water
Farm Business Update
30th January 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,
• OSR herbicides including
propyzamide, carbetamide and
quinmerac
• 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 (GAC)
• Abstraction management –
• Limited scope
• Blending –
• Nitrates, pesticides
• Catchment management……….

9. 9
Current initiatives / projects
• Safeguard Zones
• Possible mitigation measures
• Risk mapping

10. 10
Safeguard Zones
• Areas where land use
is known to reduce
water quality in rivers
and groundwater used
for drinking water
supply
• Actions targeted to
improve water quality
• www.wiyby.co.uk

11. 11
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

12. 12
Slug trapping
Traps key to assessing risk
and need for pellets
HGCA Topic Sheets on Integrated
Slug Control:
• Winter Wheat No.84
• Winter Oil Seed Rap No.85
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

13. 13
Risk mapping
• Field scale risk –
• Soil type
• Slope
• Distance from water
• Modification of advice and
metaldehyde use in high risk
areas

14. 14
What does this mean for you?
• Check if your farm is 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

15. 15
Thank you for listening
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