Developing a strategy for identifyingp g gy y g

and controlling priority pollutants

D Ni k C t i ht

g p y p

Dr Nick CartwrightManager Water Quality (Chemicals)

November 2016

T dToday

How we assess chemical water qualitySetting priorities for actiong pDeveloping different management strategies

UK SPECIFIC POLLUTANTS EU PRIORITY SUBSTANCES

• Annex VIII of WFD• Support assessment of ‘ecological

status’

• Annex X of WFD• Determines ‘chemical status’

C d h tstatus• 35 identified and EQSs derived

• Cease and phase-out• Currently 45 identified and EU-

wide EQSs derived

EU process to select new tranche of Priority S b tSubstances

‘Watch List’ of substances which will be monitored in all MSs to gauge how widespread they are across EU

Changes in how we assess chemical water C a ges o e assess c e ca atequality

Th EQS Di i i d i 2013The EQS Directive was revised in 20136 substances with tighter standards10 b t th t d t t t EC i 201810 new substances, that we need to report to EC on in 2018new standards - bioavailable metals & more biota standards set on human health end points.p

To inform future prioritisationWatch list (including pharmaceuticals and neonictinoids)EC strategy on pharmaceuticals

UK specific pollutant list revised10 new, 5 revised substances

Assessing the risks of chemical pollutants

New, more accurate d di d t fand diverse data from

Chemical Investigations Programme

River Monitoring data

Agricultural

Minewater

Sources to WwTW

GISWwTW discharges

Minewater

Intermittent urban

Highway runoff

AtmosphericOther point sources

Atmospheric

Natural

Septic tanks

Refined source apportionment

Chemicals monitoring2014/15 Rivers Programme2014/15 Rivers ProgrammeOur chemicals monitoring programmes have been devised to support the Water Framework Directive (WFD), Environmental Quality Standards Directive (EQSD) and the water company Periodic Review (PR) assessment.In 2014/15 a biota and water column programme was established to monitor a range of specific pollutants and priority substances targeted to where there was the greatest risk of failure against the Environmental Quality Standard (EQS) or we needed to improve the confidence in our data.

Mercury

Fluoranthene

BaP

TriclosanFreshwater

BiotaR lt

Sample PointLocations

25

20

15

umbe

r of

site

s

Dicofol

Fluoranthene Bioavailable Zinc Results10 N

u

Bioavailable Copper

Heptachlor

pBDEs HCB

HCBD

Bioavailable Lead

Bioavailable Nickel

Water Column

Results > EQS

<EQS

Uncertain

Dissolved Iron

Dissolved Cadmium 1227

Water column

Results Q

<EQS

< ½ EQS

> EQS

TBT

DEHP

Water column

25

Fish

mbe

r of

ePo

ints

0 100 200 300 400 500

Nonyphenol 16

CrayfishSample points

Mines

CIP1

Risk Assessment

Bioavailable metals

Fish

Crayfish

Water Column

Biota

Num

Sam

pl

Prioritising ActionPrioritising Action

Substances of Current Concern

Local Concern National ConcernLocal Concern

Prioritising ActionPrioritising Action

National Priorityy

A ti LifAquatic Life

e.g. metals Food Chaine g eta s

Drinking Water Sources

Food Chain

e.g. mercury, PBDEs, Drinking Water Sources

e.g. metaldehyde

Management strategiesManagement strategies

9

Management optionsManagement options

Implement national or international source controlsImplement national or international source controlse.g. ban brominated flame retardants

Plan nationally/implement locally

hPathway interventions e.g. mine water remediation

End of pipe e.g. treatment solutionsg

Source ControlsSource ControlsPBDEs MercuryPBDEs

DomesticI t f

MercuryIndustrial legacyInputs from airInputs from

WWTWsInputs from air, industry and coal fired power stations

Ban in placeInputs declining

pPoint sources being phased out

Enhanced treatment expensive and

International convention to take

t f i l tiineffective out of circulation

SLOW ENVIRONMENTAL RECOVERY

Pollution from abandoned mines

Metal mines– ~1 500km rivers not in good status due to abandoned1,500km rivers not in good status due to abandoned

metal mines (~105 surface water bodies)

Metals (zinc cadmium lead nickel iron)– Metals (zinc, cadmium, lead, nickel, iron)

– >50% of Cd, Pb, Zn (Priority Hazardous Substances / f ll ) f b d dSpecific Pollutants) in rivers are from abandoned

mines

Abandoned MinesAbandoned MinesSalburn Gill - Before Salburn Gill - After

Force Crag

treatment stage

Water Industry

120

treatment stageprimary secondary tertiary nonylphenol

tributyl tin120

treatment stageprimary secondary tertiary BDE47

BDE99BPYIPY100

120

t

gprimary secondary tertiary TSS

ammonia

BOD

40

60

80

100

% c

onta

min

ant

y

diethylhexylphthalate

i l 40

60

80

100

% c

onta

min

ant

40

60

80

% c

onta

min

ant BOD

COD

0

20

40

0 20

%

t t t

triclosan

0

20

40

0 20

%

0

20

0 20

treatment

treatment stageprimary secondary tertiary

copper (dissolved)

treatment

treatment stageprimary secondary tertiary

E1

treatment treatment

120

treatment stageprimary secondary tertiary

ibuprofen

80

100

120

tam

inan

t

zinc (dissolved)

60

80

100

120

tam

inan

t

E2

EE2

60

80

100

120

onta

min

ant

propranolol

diclofenac

0

20

40

60

% c

ont

0

20

40

60

% c

on

0

20

40

60

% c

o

oxy-tetracycline

00 20

treatment

0 20

treatment

0 20

treatment

Pharmaceuticals – a future issue?

• Sewage treatment of pharmaceuticals?• Some amenable E2 oxytetracycline• Some amenable – E2, oxytetracycline• Others less so – EE2• Some difficult – diclofenac, propanolol

• What is scope for source control?– Prescribing practise / restrict OTC sales

Increase public/professional awareness– Increase public/professional awareness– Bespoke measures for high risk substances– Treatment prior to sewer, e.g. hospitals

• What are the relative risks and benefits?• What is acceptable to the public?

R ili t f t h llResilience to future challenges

• Societal Challenges– Increasing and aging populationIncreasing and aging population

– Climate Change

S i tifi d l t• Scientific developments– Mixture effects

– Anti-microbial resistance

– Microplastics– Microplastics

Thank you

Any Questions?Any Questions?