Private water supplies (PWS) are those supplies that are not provided by Scottish Water, and instead are the responsibility of their owners and users. A key policy priority for Scottish Government is how to make these supplies sustainable and of good quality and quantity.
Since 2002 Scottish Water, supported by the Scottish Government, has successfully delivered a capital investment program which has brought about measurable improvements to drinking water quality and service levels across Scotland aimed at delivering compliance with the Water Scotland Act, and reducing risks of non-compliance.
The phenols of interest in this project are those that occur naturally in the environment, for example due to decomposition of organic matter, and those that enter the environment due to forest fires, muirburn or wildfires. There is limited understanding regarding the source of these natural sources of phenols in the environment, what triggers their release, or what can be done to limit their release, and whether any mitigation measures can be used to prevent them from entering the water environment.
Wastewater treatment works are not able to fully remove all pharmaceuticals and their metabolites, leading to the unintended release of these compounds in the water environment. These substances can be ecotoxic, bio-accumulate, and contribute to the introduction/spread of anti-microbial resistant bacteria and other microorganisms in the environment.
The need to look for more local sources of phosphorus (P), such as recycling of P in waste, becomes increasingly important as rock-phosphate quality declines. Moving towards a closed P cycle has the potential to decrease cost, increase sustainability, reduce pollution, and improve local and worldwide food security through long-term access to P.
Driven by environmental, social and economic benefits and the increasing pressure on resources, the need for more considerate use and recovery of resources is growing. In recognition of this, the EU has resource efficiency as a priority going forward.
The relationship between flow and ecological health is an indirect one. Individual species and ecological communities respond to physical variables such as flow velocity, wetted habitat area, depth, and stream power. However, these variables are related to flow and, due to the fact that it is more easily measured, flow has been treated as a variable which can support the determination of ecological status or, for heavily modified water bodies, ecological potential by the UK environment agencies.
It can take 500 years to replace 25 mm (1 inch) of top soil, yet in the UK it is estimated that 2.9 million tonnes of soil are eroded each year, and soil quality is diminished by poor practices.
The Scottish Government (SG) funds a development officer post at Education Scotland, to help embed resilience thinking and resources (located on the Ready for Emergencies website) within the Curriculum for Excellence delivered in Scottish schools. This includes teaching on: the causes of extreme weather; its impact on communities (specifically flooding); and the ways in which individuals and communities can adapt to and mitigate the impact of related emergencies.
Wastewater treatment works in Scotland have evolved substantially in the past 20 years. Investments were designed to protect the environment from the adverse effects of urban waste water discharges and were not specifically focused on odour control. Odours continued to present issues at some sites, and in 2005, a statutory Code of Practice for odour control at sewage works in Scotland was published by the Scottish Executive.