Tees Water Colour Project
This section of the NWL website aims to provide an overview of the aims of the project and to provide regular updates on project progress, throughout the study period, 2005-2010.
Background to the TWCP
Northumbrian Water’s Broken Scar Treatment Works in Darlington supplies some 150 million litres of water per day to households and businesses in Darlington and Teesside. The majority of the water originates from the Upper Tees catchment; land which is in private ownership and is not owned or managed by Northumbrian Water. Much of the upper catchment is an area of blanket bog, with heather and grass moorland, including 29,000 hectares designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Over the last 30 years, raw water colour levels in the Tees have increased from an average of 60 to 120 hazen at Broken Scar WTW (Figure 1 below).
Hazen levels are determined by a visual comparison between the colour of a water sample, and that of hazen colour standards, using a spectrophotometer. The current European Union (EU) Drinking Water Standard for colour is 20 Hazen – a level at which there is no visible sign of colour. In order to comply with this legislative requirement NWL has made substantial capital investments to improve the treatment of water from the Tees.
Such investment has included a change in coagulant from aluminium to ferric sulphate (aiding the removal of unnecessary particles), the installation of a new Granular Activated Carbon treatment plant (removes organic material in filtration process), the management of the subsequent rising sludge production, as well as energy expenditure.
What is water colour?
Water colour is caused by the presence of dissolved organic compounds – predominantly humic and fulvic acids, which are the products of decomposition from organic soils. Water discolouration affects the aesthetic value of our waterways, impacting on the commercial economics of tourism and angling, as well as indicating the declining ecological health of our upland peatlands.
The increase in river water colour is a trend that has been reflected in research across the upland areas of the U.K and also in Northern Europe. Around 80% of catchments in the U.K. have shown an increase in colour presence.
Northumbrian Water’s response
The standard approach by Northumbrian Water, and other water companies, has been to treat problems of this manner at the point of abstraction (a traditional end-of-pipe solution), which is usually costly to both the company and ultimately our customers.
With the current international emphasis on sustainable water management - both social and environmental aspects - currently outlined by the EU’s Water Framework Directive, the Tees Water Colour Project offers a more holistic approach to the water quality issues within the upstream catchment of the River Tees.
Objectives
The Tees Water Colour Project, which is running until 2010, has the following objectives:
• To demonstrate the value of using proactive catchment land management techniques to deliver water colour improvements in the upper Tees. None of this land is owned by NWL so establishing and maintaining working partnerships with local landowners and organisations is essential.
• To demonstrate the potential multiple benefits of taking a holistic approach to sustainable catchment management.
• To identify the costs and benefits of this approach to individual stakeholders.
• To develop a wider model for stakeholder participation and application to other water quality issues to inform the PR09 and Water Framework Directive process.
First year achievements 2005/06
• Gained a broad base of support for the project from relevant organisations and government agencies e.g. Environment Agency, Natural England, DEFRA, RSPB, and North Pennines AONB Partnership.
• Developed a good working relationship with the Peatscapes Project team, (part of the North Pennines AONB Partnership). This is a larger project covering the whole of the north pennines concentrating on the social and environmental issues of peatland management and conservation.
• Discussions started with an estate in Teesdale to set up a sub-catchment demonstration area, to probably include grip blocking and grazing management.
• Investigation carried out into the empirical relationships between water colour and water treatment costs at three NWL water treatment works.
Second year achievements 2006/07
• Further developed the good working relationship with the Peatscapes Project team. We have jointly delivered ‘Your land and water colour’ leaflet to raise awareness about water colour as a land management issue. We have also identified areas for possible grip blocking, for which the Peatscapes Project is taking forwards the negotiations with the relevant land agent and Estate.
• Continued discussions with an estate in Teesdale regarding setting up a sub-catchment demonstration area, to include grip blocking and grazing management.
• Continued and extended the investigation into the relationships between water colour and water treatment costs via a modelling exercise.
• Undertaken a survey of nearly 150 land managers in the North Pennines area, relating to costs, benefits, drivers and constraints relating to changing land management practice.
• Delivered a presentation on catchment work within the water industry, including the Tees Water Colour Project, at a national conference in July 2006.
This year’s focus 2007/08
Over the next year (2007-08) the main focus will be to develop the sub-catchment demonstration work area with deliverables including:
• Gaining agreement from landowners for the sub-catchment demonstration work
• Agreeing a method statement with all stakeholders
• Appointing a consultant / contractor to carry out required on the ground works and monitoring.
• Starting to undertake works on the ground and hydrological and ecological monitoring
We will also produce a summary of the land manager survey results for distribution and continue work on the operational cost modelling with a trial of the model at a water treatment works.
We will continue to support the activities of the Peatscapes Project, especially relating to the proposed leaflet on moorland tracks, their work to raise the profile of the ‘tops to taps’ view of water, their work to block grips in the North Pennines and their conference in Durham from 25-26 September 2007.
Outside of the Tees Water Colour Project, Northumbrian Water will be developing and rolling out catchment risk assessments for our sites during 2007, as part of our Water Safety Plan implementation, and will be putting together proposals for catchment initiatives for PR09, based on the outputs of the risk assessments.
Partners
• Durham University
• North Pennines AONB Partnership - 'Peatscapes Project'
• Environment Agency
• Natural England
• DEFRA
• RSPB