Scotland is taking steps to understand and address the risks posed by emerging contaminants in its water environment. Three research projects, commissioned by the Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW), have provided critical insights into the presence, sources, and potential impacts of contaminants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), pharmaceuticals, microplastics, and antimicrobial-resistant genes.
The research project conducted assessments of the potential presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (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.
There is no escaping the fact that we are facing serious global challenges when it comes to water. Growing populations, climate-change driven extreme weather events that result in shocks to our natural and built environment, depleted groundwater supplies, pollution from agriculture, industry and sewage… the list goes on.
CREW is pleased to present this Programme Report (2016-2022) for the Centre of Expertise for Waters.
Private sewage systems (PSS) refer to systems that are not connected to the mains sewer. According to estimates by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) the majority of PSS in Scotland serve domestic properties. This work focuses on PSS serving up to nine properties, i.e., up to 50 population equivalent.
The virus that causes Covid-19 disease, SARS-CoV-2, is excreted by infected people into the sewage system and genetic material from the virus can be detected in wastewater samples. The prevalence of the virus has been monitored from June 2020 to the current time. This project built upon the programme of monitoring for SARS-CoV-2 in Scottish wastewater with the following research objectives:
IMPRESS investigated improved methods for forecasting of floods and droughts where these are influenced by reservoir operations. A strong capability to forecast sub-hourly river flows a week ahead for flood warning/guidance purposes has been developed by SEPA, using hydrological and hydraulic models of rivers in combination with weather model predictions of precipitation. However, the effect of reservoir operation is not well represented and this can impact adversely on the quality of flow forecasts at locations downstream of reservoirs.