Scottish Water IDG Lunch and Learn: Emerging Contaminants

Description

• Developing risk assessment approaches for PFAS and watch list parameters under the recast Drinking Water Directive
The research project conducted first assessments of the potential presence of PFAS, 17β-estradiol, and nonylphenol for drinking water supply sources in Scotland, to identify high risk areas and enable prioritisation of monitoring and additional knowledge generation. Having identified these areas now allows more targeted risk-based monitoring to aid our understanding of presence of the substances, their sources and treatment requirements. This in turn will inform best strategies and actions to reduce concentrations of the contaminants not only in drinking water, but also to manage their release into the environment.

• What lies beneath? Emergent global issues associated with reservoir drinking water provision.
Reservoir sediments are considered a store for nutrients and contaminants including inorganic and organic pollutants and persistent and emerging contaminants (e.g. poly-and-perfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances). Changing reservoir water conditions, such as temperature, volume, and oxygen status, can trigger the re-release of nutrients/chemicals from bed sediments, potentially transitioning from a "pollution store" to a "pollution source". This project aims to understand what emergent issues are impacting reservoir drinking water provision globally and consider how these issues may be applicable within the Scottish context.

Period	2 May 2024
Event title	Scottish Water IDG Lunch and Learn
Event type	Seminar
Location	United KingdomShow on map
Degree of Recognition	National