Water Quality and Health

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.

Review of monitoring techniques and sampling strategies to identify the most significant sources of Faecal Indicator Organisms (FIO) within a catchment 

This project set out to develop recommendations for delivery of a scientifically robust, efficient and cost-effective sanitary survey programme and environmental monitoring programme to better inform Food Standards Scotland (FSS) and Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) shellfish water programmes.

Are radon concentrations in drinking water higher in the high-risk area, where the underlying geology is likely to deliver high radon concentrations in groundwater and indoor-air, than elsewhere in Scotland? What should the minimum allowable radon concentration (parametric value) and action level for remedial action be in drinking water to protect public health from exposure to radon?

Within the EU Horizon 20/20 program and The Hydro Nation Agenda water is seen as a significant enabling factor in the transition towards a resource efficiency and regenerative circular economy. While major urban managed water systems have seen
much improvement in performance, small to medium supplies still require optimisation. The research undertaken addressed the need to optimise the overall sustainability of small to medium sized water treatment processes.