Browsing by Author "Dolan, Tom"

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    Diffuse pesticide pollution of drinking water sources: impact of legislation and UK responses
    (IWA Publishing, 2012-06-12T00:00:00Z) Dolan, Tom; Howsam, Peter; Parsons, David J.
    Diffuse pesticide pollution is a problem for the environment, but it also presents a challenge for water compa- nies managing treatment infrastructure to produce potable water. The legal framework for this context has three main components: that dealing with pesticides and pesticide use, that dealing with environmental water quality and that dealing with drinking water quality. The study set out to identify, interpret and assess the impact of the legal framework related to this challenge. The study found that the current policy and legislation do not provide a coordinated legal framework and some changes are warranted. For example the Water Framework Directive (WFD) sets environmental quality standards for some, but not all, pesticides. Article 7 provides special protection of water bodies used as sources for drinking water supply, but it is not clear whether the UK will achieve full compliance by 2015. This is a problem for water companies planning investment, because the WFD and Drinking Water Directive remain legally distinct. Further uncertainty arises from the application of Regulation (EC) 1107/2009 and the extent that restricted availability of pesticides will drive changes in agricultural practice and pesticide use.
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    Identifying adaptation options and constraints: the role of agronomist knowledge in catchment management strategy
    (Springer Science Business Media, 2014-01-31T00:00:00Z) Dolan, Tom; Howsam, Peter; Parsons, David J.; Whelan, Michael J.; Varga, Liz
    Water suppliers in parts of Europe currently face occasional Drinking Water Directive compliance challenges for a number of pesticide active substances including metal- dehyde, clopyralid and propyzamide. Water Framework Directive (WFD) Article 7 promotes a prevention-led (catchment management) approach to such issues. At the same time, European pesticide legislation is driving reduced active substance availability. In this context, embedding agronomic drivers of pesticide use into catchment management and regulatory decision making processes can help to ensure that water quality problems are addressed at source without imposition of disproportionate cost on either agriculture or potable water suppliers. In this study agronomist knowledge, perception and expectations of current and possible future pesticide use was assessed and the significance of this knowledge to other stakeholders involved with pesticide catchment management was evaluated. This was then used to provide insight into the possible impacts of active substance restrictions and associated adaptation options. For many arable crops, further restrictions on the range of pesticides available may cause increased use of alternatives (with potential for "pollution swapping"). However, in many cases alternatives are not available, too costly or lack a proven track record and other adaptation options may be selected which catchment managers need to be able to anticipate.
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    Water Framework Directive Article 7, The Drinking Water Directive and European Pesticide Regulation: impacts on diffuse pesticide pollution, potable water decision making and catchment management strategy
    (Cranfield University, 2013-10) Dolan, Tom; Parsons, David; Howsam, Peter; Whelan, Michael J.; Varga, Liz
    The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) promotes increased awareness of catchment processes and challenges the established dependence on a ‘treatment-led approach’ for the supply of European Drinking Water Directive (DWD) compliant potable water. In particular, WFD Article 7 promotes a ‘prevention-led approach’ to DWD compliance, based on pollution prevention at source to reduce investment in new treatment. In this context the challenge of preventing diffuse pesticide pollution from agricultural sources is significant because metaldehyde (a molluscide) and to a lesser extent the herbicide clopyralid are, despite current treatment, causing DWD non compliance for drinking water in a number of English catchments. Analysis presented here identifies that a successful transition from a ‘treatment-led’ to a ‘prevention-led’ approach will require collective action from, and shared mutual understanding between, a number of stakeholder groups. However, each of these groups has a unique perspective on WFD Article 7 and other elements of the currently uncoordinated legal and voluntary framework for diffuse pesticide pollution prevention. A toolbox of intervention options and a set of criteria to evaluate current catchment management actions are proposed to help the WFD competent authority facilitate WFD Article 7 compliance.Water suppliers need to improve their understanding of the reasons for pesticide use. Through consultation with pesticide agronomists, important drivers of pesticide use, a hierarchy of adaptation options available if a particular pesticide is restricted and key messages for catchment managers and regulators were identified. Based on this foundation a classification system to inform and prioritise water sector decision making for investment in catchment management was developed.Additionally, analysis presented here demonstrates that the DWD standard for pesticides, which determines the level of catchment management required for WFD Article 7 compliance, is not itself consistent with European environmental policy principles, particularly the precautionary principle, and needs to be reviewed.