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USING RESEARCH TO INFORM INTEGRATED CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT

USING RESEARCH TO INFORM INTEGRATED CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT. A regional business perspective . What is YW business perspective? Increasing costs treatment opex capex What are the water quality trends? Significant challenges due to increasing colour

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USING RESEARCH TO INFORM INTEGRATED CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT

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  1. USING RESEARCH TO INFORM INTEGRATED CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT A regional business perspective

  2. What is YW business perspective? • Increasing costs treatment opex capex • What are the water quality trends? • Significant challenges due to increasing colour • Significant upward trends in nitrate concentrations aquifers • Rising nitrate levels in rivers • Number of catchments risk failing pesticide standard Conventional Response to risk of failure - Blend - Treat - Abandon

  3. Many land uses/other factors influence WQ • Regulation is standard driven • Tended to result in engineering solutions • But times are a changing…. • Water safety plans • WFD • Polluter pays • Protected drinking water status • Climate change • Carbon • Economics • OFWAT sustainability duty • SDS – longer term view

  4. Water Framework Directive • The overriding aim of Article 7:- • “ensure the necessary protection for the bodies of water identified with the aim of avoiding deterioration in their quality in order to reduce the level of purification treatment required in the production of drinking water” • Not unlimited protection • Significant improvement • Only applies to anthropogenic parameters

  5. OFWAT’s view on Catchment Solutions Water companies may see opportunities to address drinking water issues by encouraging changes to land management in the catchments providing raw water for public water supply. If, • the company owns the land; • the land contributes to the achievement of the aims of the regulated business; • the investment relates to changes in land management practice to meet a defined legal requirement; and • the proposal is both cost effective compared with other options and is cost beneficial

  6. Strategic Direction Statement Yw response

  7. Agricultural Land Management Strategy R & D Three integrated projects to assess: • Agricultural measures to improve WQ • Targeting need for agricultural measures • Assessing potential improvement • Influencing for change • Impact on agriculture (economic & social)

  8. Catchment Sensitive Farming • Ingbirchworth Catchment (near Penistone) • Nitrate Vulnerable Zone compliant • Nutrient sampling – water & soils • Nutrient modelling • Demonstration days and 121 Farm Advice

  9. Comes down to one simple question…… …….does catchment management work!

  10. Voluntary Initiative - Ingbirchworth Catchment Pesticide Sampling 2003 Pesticides Identified as >0.1 ug/l 2,4-D MCPA Clopyralid CMPP Fluroxypyr Triclopyr Imazapyr 2003 15 detections above treated water standard

  11. Voluntary Initiative - Ingbirchworth Catchment Pesticide Sampling 2005 Pesticides Identified as >0.1 ug/l 2,4-D MCPA Clopyralid CMPP Fluroxypyr Triclopyr Imazapyr 2005 5 detections above treated water standard

  12. Voluntary Initiative - Ingbirchworth Catchment Pesticide Sampling 2007 Pesticides Identified as >0.1 ug/l 2,4-D MCPA Clopyralid CMPP Fluroxypyr Triclopyr Imazapyr 2007 0 detections above treated water standard

  13. Activities undertaken to reduce pesticides • Training & Awareness sessions (Calibration Cards etc.) • Education visits to adjacent WTW to explain processes • Amnesty on expired products • Identifying key players in the catchment • Helping Agronomists & Contract Sprayers understand the issues – their increased use of wetters/ alternative products • Closer working with tenants to better understand their pesticide usage and crop needs • Development of Crop Management Plans • Encourage alternative crops with lesser pesticide needs

  14. 1 2 2006 – chemical application Claymorel 04/06 Claymore 04/06 1 Doxstar 04/06 Doxstar 04/06 5 9 8 Growth regulator 04/06 Claymore 04/06 12 Low Pasture 20 14 Doxstar 04/06 1 19 Claymore 04/06 18 16 17 2 1 2,4-D 05/06 28 2,4-D 05/06 27 26 Doxstar& wetter 05/06 Alistell 06/06 24 25 23

  15. Coincides with v high rainfall events Should we look at length of crop fast times? 1997 2006 - 7

  16. Colour Dissolved Organic Carbon Affects about 70% of our resources…

  17. Miex?

  18. Area of burning most significant relationship Bckground level of colour loss or impact vegetation alone?

  19. UK-wide: impact of blocking on colour • Blockingreduces water colour Grip blocking (ditch drains)

  20. Healthy blanket bog Acrotelm • Living plants, biologically • active • Zone of water movement Degraded bog Acrotelm Catotelm - saturated peat Catotelm - water movement in peat Colour SUBSOIL How does a bog degrade & form colour?

  21. What does good look like for colour…. How do we achieve this?

  22. Multiple objectives and interests….. Carbon Biodiversity Access Water Quality Flooding Grouse Landscape ?? Farming ??

  23. Catchment Solutions Require: • Development and assessment of methodologies at catchment scale • Understanding of the economics • Understanding time, certainty and security • Further R&D on interactions

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