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 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

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

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

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 OFWAT’s view on Catchment Solutions

Strategic Direction Statement Yw response

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Low Pasture Doxstar 04/ Growth regulator 04/06 Claymore 04/ Claymore 04/ – chemical application Doxstar 04/06 Claymorel 04/06 Doxstar 04/06 Claymore 04/06 Alistell 06/06 Doxstar& wetter 05/06 2,4-D 05/06 2,4-D 05/06

Coincides with v high rainfall events Should we look at length of crop fast times?

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

Miex?

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

Grip blocking (ditch drains) ConditionMeanMedi an Blocked Unblocked UK-wide: impact of blocking on colour  Blocking reduces water colour

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

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

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

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