This comprehensive review covers the sources, impacts, risks and monitoring of water related ‘known-unknowns’, including potential emerging contaminants of concern within Scottish watercourses; data availability; impact assessment on ground and surface water including WFD compliance (and coastal environments-Bathing Water Directive); and current and future risks, monitoring and assessment methodologies.

The purpose of this research is to produce a map that demonstrates the scope and scale of Scotland’s water sector and demonstrates how the different parts of the sector link together. It demonstrates how the decision making processes that influence, manage and control Scotland’s water resources are distributed throughout the sector. This research supports the Scottish Government’s Hydro Nation Strategy.

Farmers across Scotland were recently asked about soil science research needs. Drainage and soil structural damage were viewed to be the greatest concern.

Good soil structure and field drainage systems are key to achieving good water quality and minimising flood risk. They are also vital for agricultural productivity and in the greenhouse gas balance of many soil systems.

Restoration of river habitats by restoring physical habitats offers significant opportunities for improvements to biodiversity. To date in the UK and Republic of Ireland (RoI) there have been many different examples and types of restoration work undertaken. Despite this progress there remain issues relating to the quality of the evidence base for restoration, its implementation and its promotion as a viable strategy to improve river biodiversity, ecosystem status and maintain the key services that we rely on.

CREW’s role is to support staff in SG, SEPA and Scottish Water (our end users) in their work to develop and implement water related policy in Scotland. As policy needs evolve, CREW also continues to evolve.

This report summarises the work undertaken at the James Hutton Institute of a modelling analysis of nitrate loads across Scotland as one stream of evidence to help underpin the NVZ review being undertaken by SEPA for the Scottish Government. This modelling work formed part of the core RESAS funded research.

Scotland's Centre of Expertise for Waters, CREW, delivers objective and robust research and expert opinion to support the development and implementation of water policy in Scotland. During 2012-13 CREW has supported policy teams working on Hydro Nation, flood risk management, catchment management and the Water Framework Directive, drinking water and waste water services, as well as wider policy.

The December 2013 edition of CREWs NEWs is available now. Find out about CREW events, projects, contract opportunities and competitions as well as news and events from the wider water sector. If you have any comments about CREWs NEWs or would like to advertise an upcoming event please get in touch.

This project was undertaken for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, via a request to the CREW call down service as part of a range of SEPA initiatives under their Embedding Ecosystem Services work stream. The objective of this report is to review the process of River Basin Management Planning and identify how and where an Ecosystem Services Approach might assist SEPA in improving their delivery of the Water Framework Directive.