Scotland’s Shellfish Water Protected Areas, shellfish production areas, and bathing waters are monitored for faecal contamination using faecal indicator organisms (FIOs), such as E. coli. These indicators help assess the potential presence of harmful pathogens, supporting the protection of human health and informing actions to improve water quality. Faecal contamination can originate from a range of sources, including livestock, wildlife, septic tanks and wastewater systems, and its behaviour is strongly influenced by rainfall and hydrology. Modelling of E. coli and other indicators of faecal pollution offers a way to improve understanding of how different sources contribute to water quality pressures, helping to inform investigations, target interventions and support decision-making.
To highlight the value of modelling for catchment-scale source apportionment in Scotland and collaboratively explore opportunities for future development, findings and recommendations from a recently published CREW project were shared with stakeholders during a dedicated dissemination webinar. The project reviewed existing FIO models to better understand current modelling capabilities and consider how elements of different approaches might be combined to complement one another.
Participants discussed the strengths and limitations of existing modelling approaches, emphasising that different applications require different levels of complexity and that the choice of modelling approach should be guided by need. They also highlighted a range of recent and ongoing work to refine and enhance the capabilities of available models, including research to better understand how FIOs behave across different source types and environmental conditions.
Throughout the webinar, the importance of clearly defining the intended purpose of a model, and ensuring that data availability, collection and modelling approaches are aligned with this, was stressed. Discussions reflected a strong interest in continuing to build on the project’s findings and recommendations by taking this work forward to support water quality management and decision-making in Scotland.
CREW would like to thank the research team (James Hutton Institute and the University of Stirling), the Project Steering Group (SEPA, the Scottish Government, NatureScot, and Scottish Water) and CREW Project Manager, Anishka Cameron, for their dedication and support to the project.
The main report, plain English summary and supporting database resource are available here: Review of existing faecal indicator organism (FIO) models and future integration opportunities.
News article: Anishka Cameron