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Water Quality

Retrofitting Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems to industrial estates

Industrial estates are a well-recognised cause of pollution and Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) have been identified as an important option to address the pollution risk. This study aimed to investigate the potential for retrofitting SUDS on industrial estates to try to reduce pollution of watercourses. The project focused primarily on source control SUDS, or SUDS on an individual property bassis, as well as conveyance types of SUDS.

Investment decisions at small drinking water supply systems

This project sought to review the challenges in delivering drinking water compliance, with a focus on the quality and quantity of investment drivers, and to assess the proposed or deployed solutions against these criteria. These outputs will assist in identifying value for money criteria for investment; identify how the policy and regulatory framework includes water treatment choices, risk appetite and costs; identify how changes to the policy framework could improve value for money and sustainability and inform policy on drinking water treatment based on economics and quality enhancement.

Towards an economic value of native oyster restoration in Scotland

Native oyster beds (Ostrea edulis) are one of the most endangered marine habitats in Europe, with associated population losses of over 95%, mainly due to overfishing in the 19th and early 20th century. The loss of this keystone species has also meant a loss of oyster reef habitat for other shell and fin fish, and a loss of key ecosystem services for filtration and sequestration of pollutants.

Prevention-led approach to the delivery of good drinking water quality

The aim of this project was to collate evidence related to prevention-led approaches within catchments, that was of relevance to Scotland and the benefits that they could bring to safeguarding drinking water supplies. This project sought views, nationally and from other EU (and international) countries, on how or what they have learnt from implementing a prevention-led approach. A project workshop focussed on two key pressures on Scottish drinking water supplies: organics (e.g. Dissolved Organic Carbon) and Taste and odour issues.

River Leven Catchment Initiative: Synthesis of current knowledge to help identify environmental management priorities to improve the water environment

The main aim of the study was to review and synthesise current knowledge relating to the water environment within the River Leven catchment, including the condition of its rivers, lochs and groundwater.

The study addressed six main research questions.

Risks to private water supplies from the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)

In Scotland and the EU, drinking water quality is regulated under the Council Directive 98/83/EC on the quality of water intended for human consumption (Drinking Water Directive-DWD). The revision of Annex II Part C to the  DWD in October 2015 focussed attention and limited resources to hazards of local concern, by requiring risk assessments at a supply zone scale as a basis for granting deviations from the list of parameters and frequencies subject to compliance monitoring.

Key barriers to the adoption of innovation in water and wastewater service provision

The aim of the research was to identify barriers faced by private developers in the provision of innovations in water and wastewater services and to provide recommendations to enhance innovation in building and managing water and wastewater assets.  In order to achieve this aim, the project team carried out a detailed literature review using data and information sourced from academic and grey literature to identify barriers to adoption of innovation in water and wastewater service provision. This was