Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 11.7
Definition of pollution incident categories.
Source:
National Rivers Authority 1993.
guidance notes, pollution prevention campaigns
and site visits; establishment of regulations
designed to prevent pollution, such as the setting
of minimum standards for the construction of
stores to house agricultural waste; and serving of
notices on consent holders requiring action to
prevent breaches of a consent
(ibid.)
. Licences
issued by the Environment Agency regarding
abstraction of surface waters also have regard to
the quality of the resulting reduced volume of
flow.
Various financial, legislative and other initiatives
have been taken in order to improve water quality
in England and Wales. For example, the package
of measures to reduce nutrient inputs to the
aquatic environment
(ibid.)
include:
•
Declaration of thirty-two Nitrate Sensitive
Areas to encourage further reductions in
nitrate leaching (Box 11.2).
•
Identification of thirty-three river reaches and
lakes as Eutrophic Sensitive Areas, where the
water industry will be required to install
phosphorus removal at qualifying sewage
treatment works.
FUTURE DIRECTIONS AND
CONCLUSIONS
Water quality and pollution are multifaceted and
complex issues, which increasingly are becoming
critical both socially and economically at national
and international levels. While an enormous
amount of effort has been devoted to the
monitoring, modelling and management of
freshwater contamination, especially in developed
countries, many problems of water pollution
remain to be solved. It has been suggested by some
experts (e.g. Ongley 1994) that especially in
•
Sewage treatment improvement.
•
Encouraging farmers to follow codes of good
practice.
•
Designation of sixty-nine Nitrate Vulnerable
Zones, where farmers will be required to
reduce leaching of nitrate.
