1

Farming and drinking

water

Claire Lorenc

Catchment Team Leader

Essex & Suffolk Water

Farm Business Update - Lavenham

13th February 2014

2

Farming and drinking

water

• Water quality update

• Role for catchment approaches

• Current initiatives

• What does it mean for you?

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

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

6

Where are we now?

7

Where are we now?

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

Abstraction management

10

Current initiatives / projects

• Safeguard Zones

• Possible mitigation measures

• Risk mapping

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

Screen grab from local wiyby map

12

Possible mitigation measures

WRc report – Oct 2013

13

Slug trapping

14

Risk mapping

• Field scale risk –

• Soil type

• Slope

• Distance from

water

• Modification of

advice and

metaldehyde use in

high risk areas

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 Advisor help available

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