Nick Paling Lecture on river catchment water quality assessment
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In this 1 hour lecture Dr Nick Paling, the Westcountry Rivers Trust's Head of Data, Evidence & Communications illustrates how the pressures degrading water quality in a catchment can be assessed and their sources determined. Once done, this allows a carefully tailored and targeted plan of action to be formed to reduce these impacts.
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Nick Paling Lecture on river catchment water quality assessment
- 1. UpstreamThinking Spatial data and analysis in the improvement of aquatic ecosystem health and downstream water quality
- 2. TheTamar Catchment – 1,800km2 and 300,000+ people
- 3. It provide us with…. – food and materials – energy / fuel – drinking water It regulates…. – climate gases – flooding & drought It also gives us areas for…. – culture – recreation – habitat for wildlife A catchment provides many Ecosystem Services
- 4. Many pressures act to reduce ecosystem health
- 5. Contribution of pollution from diffuse sources in the catchment Nutrients • Phosphorus compounds • Nitrates/Nitrites • Ammonia compounds Physico-chemistry • Dissolved oxygen • Colour • Turbidity / suspended solids • Smell & taste Microbiology • Faecal indicator organisms (FIO) • Other bacteria • Cryptosporidium spp. • Algae Pesticides • Acid herbicides • Neutral herbicides • Insecticides Many pressures act to reduce ecosystem health
- 6. Reduced ecosystem health impairs service provision
- 7. Heavily exploited ecosystem ‘Natural’ ecosystem Provisioning services Regulating services Cultural services Crops Meat Timber Spaces forWildlife Recreation Pest control Water regulation Water purification What services are we currently getting?
- 8. A participatory stakeholder-led approach… What services do we get? Are we getting enough? What areas effect provision? What can we do to provision? Where should they be targeted? How is it funded? What are the outcomes? Are the new sources of funding? Developing a shared vision & a shared language - Habitat creation - Landuse change - Farm infrastructure - Best practice advice - Stewardship - Water Company - Biodiversity offsetting - Flood Risk - Research findings - Spatial data - Monitoring - Reports & plans
- 9. Ecosystem services: Water regulation & quality The water cycle is one of the fundamental processes we all depend on – Water regulation is dependent on - Direction of water movement: laterally or vertically Rate of water movement / timing of release Interactions with contaminants Some land areas play a role in water regulation and water quality - Innate characteristics - Condition/health
- 10. Ecosystem services: Water regulation & purification 3 4 3 6 9 62 21 INHERENT RISK PRACTICE Source Receptor We want to understand why water quality is (or is not) degraded in certain locations… +++ Importance/opportunity
- 11. Ecosystem services: Water regulation & purification Seasonally wet gley 3 4 3 6 9 62 21 INHERENT RISK PRACTICE Identifying areas of high importance/risk to water regulation - Soil type & condition/practices Free-draining brown earth Gley with impeded drainage
- 12. Natural habitat Cultivated land 3 4 3 6 9 62 21 INHERENT RISK PRACTICE Permanent pasture Ecosystem services: Water regulation & purification Identifying areas of high importance/risk to water regulation - Landuse & practice (intensity of use)
- 13. Direct connection to watercourse Steeply sloping 3 4 3 6 9 62 21 INHERENT RISK PRACTICE Hydrologically connected Ecosystem services: Water regulation & purification Identifying areas of high importance/risk to water regulation - Location, topography & hydrological connectivity
- 14. Water Quality Soil hydrology & condition • Run-off risk • Leaching risk Topography (i.e. slope) Hydrological connectivity • Proximity to watercourse • Flood plain • Surface & sub-surface flow accumulation Land cover • Natural habitats (wetland, woodland or peatland) • Farmed land (tillage or permanent grass) The group identified land most likely to have an impact on water quality:
- 15. Case study: SouthWestWater’s Crownhill WTWs For SWW: ↓ Water Supply + ↑ Pollution = ↑ Risk + ↑ Cost
- 16. Crownhill WTWs 60 Ml/day 80,000 households in Plymouth & South Hams 3 raw water sources - Burrator Reservoir -Tamar at Gunnislake -Tavy at Lopwell Dam
- 17. Crownhill WTWs 60 Ml/day 80,000 households in Plymouth & South Hams 3 raw water sources - Burrator Reservoir -Tamar at Gunnislake -Tavy at Lopwell Dam
- 18. SWW change the raw water sources for CrownhillWTWs according to various pressures Where is the ecosystem service derived?
- 19. …BUT changing the source can have a significant impact on the treatment process ↑ RISK ↑ COSTS Challenges at the water treatment works
- 20. Challenges at the water treatment works Increased treatment cost = ↑ Pumping + ↑ Purification Using river sources increases the cost of treatment
- 21. Challenges at the water treatment works Suspended sediment & turbidity We need determine the scale of the problems and where they are derived from in the catchment… …if we don’t know this, how can we possibly estimate the potential for enhanced ecosystem service (clean raw water) delivery…?
- 22. Sources of pollution in the catchment Suspended sediment & turbidity
- 24. Sources of pollution in the catchment Suspended sediment & turbidity
- 27. Sources of pollution in the catchment Suspended sediment & turbidity
- 28. Sources of pollution in the catchment Suspended sediment & turbidity
- 30. Sources of pollution in the catchment Suspended sediment & turbidity
- 31. River walkover surveys (APEM 2010) Suspended sediment & turbidity 653 pollutions found…. Sources of pollution in the catchment
- 34. The sediment run-off risk model helps us to quantify the scale of the problem & target high risk areas
- 35. Challenges at the water treatment works (WTWs) Nutrients: Phosphorus
- 36. Sources of pollution in the catchment Nutrients: Phosphorus Morse et al., (1993)
- 37. Sources of pollution in the catchment Nutrients: Phosphorus
- 38. Sources of pollution in the catchment Nutrients: Phosphorus P point sources PSYCHIC (ADAS, 2004)
- 39. Sources of pollution in the catchment Nutrients: Phosphorus P livestock sources P Total PSYCHIC (ADAS, 2004)
- 40. Sources of pollution in the catchment Nutrients: Phosphorus Total P
- 42. A well established toolbox of measures to reduce rural diffuse pollution Improving water quality – toolbox of measures
- 43. A well established toolbox of measures to reduce rural diffuse pollution Improving water quality – toolbox of measures
- 44. Improving water quality – toolbox of measures A well established toolbox of measures to reduce rural diffuse pollution
- 45. Improving water quality – toolbox of measures A well established toolbox of measures to reduce rural diffuse pollution
- 46. * Assessing the prospects for improvement ECM+ for predicting phosphorus export Scenario 2: 100% uptake of BFPs on Caudworthy Scenario 1: Current situation
- 47. * Scenario 2: 100% uptake of BFPs on Caudworthy Scenario 1: Current situation Scenario 3: 100% uptake of BFPs on entireTamar Assessing the prospects for improvement ECM+ for predicting phosphorus export
- 48. It provide us with…. – food and materials – energy / fuel – drinking water It regulates…. – climate gases – flooding & drought It also gives us areas for…. – culture – recreation – habitat for wildlife A catchment provides many Ecosystem Services
- 49. Flooding Drought
- 50. Spaces for wildlifeCarbon sequestration
- 52. Bringing it all together…
- 53. We now have a shared understanding of what outcomes will come from a better catchment, who will benefit and importantly who might pay…