Anglian Water are working with farmers to reduce the amount of slug pesticides in the country’s watercourses. Currently, the metaldehyde slug pellets are very difficult to remove from treated wastewater, so farmers are being encouraged to switch to other chemicals for dealing with the slugs.
The European Union’s Water Framework Directive currently allows just 0.1ppb in treated water, which as Farmer’s Weekly puts it, is as little as one drop in an Olympic sized swimming pool.
These levels are currently being exceeded in the Anglian region, prompting the discussion with local farmers.
Pesticides and fertilisers are notoriously hard to remove from wastewater, and their presence in the treated water that is released into watercourses can play havoc with the surrounding environment. Nutrients such as phosphorous and nitrogen that are found in fertilisers encourage algae growth that can severely harm marine life.
Plantwork System’s technology – such as the NUTREM wastewater treatment plant – is designed to remove these harmful substances and minimise damage to the environment.
For more information on our advances in this area please click here.
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