Summary of the impact

Surface water runoff in urban areas makes a significant contribution to pollution of lakes and rivers, but historically is poorly addressed in catchment models. The School of Geography (SoG) developed a Geographic Information System (GIS) model and supporting database to quantify urban source area loadings of 18 common and priority pollutants. This knowledge improves catchment models and supports impact assessment and mitigation planning by environment managers. The research has been exploited on behalf of the Department for Energy, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the Welsh Assembly, and the UK water industry (UK Water Industry Research — UKWIR, and United Utilities). The research has had three distinct impacts: 1) its use addressing EU Water Framework Directive obligations; 2) its on-going influence on construction industry guidance; and 3) the commercialisation of its stormwater pollutant coefficient database for Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) planning software.

Summary of the impact

Managing and conserving the marine environment requires defining what constitutes healthy ecosystems and understanding the effects of pollution. Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) research defining `undesirable disturbance' allowed the United Kingdom (UK) to mount a successful defence at the European Court of Justice in 2009 against alleged infraction of UK obligations under the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive. This saved UK taxpayers £6 billion in estimated additional costs. The European Union (EU) Marine Strategy Framework Directive uses a definition of good status for pelagic habitats derived from work at ENU, which benefits policy makers and marine stakeholders by facilitating the establishment of Marine Protected Areas.

Summary of the impact

Current Defra policy on river catchment management has been informed by our interdisciplinary research over a 10-year period, much of it addressing the challenges posed by the EU Water Framework Directive. Outcomes from our research are reflected in the policies proposed in the 2011 Water for Life White Paper and also in the multi-million pound investment plans of water companies. We have also influenced a whole-community framework for catchment management in the UK that was piloted in 2011 and has now been extended to 100 catchments across England.

Summary of the impact

Newcastle's research has shaped national policy and practice on the management of flooding and agricultural pollution, and international policy and practice in the developing world on managing forested catchments and sustainable water resources management. We show evidence that our research has:

• provided key evidence to inform five national policy and guidance documents on management of flooding and diffuse agricultural pollution, used by all relevant national bodies
• supported national guidance on natural flood management in catchments, reaching all 79 UK priority catchments and influencing funding for more than 40 farming grants to date
• provided exemplary demonstration sites, national guidance documents and tools for promotion of best practice to key stakeholders, reaching over 3000 interested people
• established a basin-scale approach to water resources modelling for nine Nile Basin countries
• influenced national water management policies in several Latin American countries.

Summary of the impact

This work helps the UK and Ireland fulfil their statutory duties to assess and improve the state of freshwater ecosystems. EU legislation requires all water bodies to be managed sustainably to achieve a state close to that of the water body in its natural state. Research in Geography at Newcastle has pioneered the use of diatoms (microscopic algae) in lakes and rivers to describe the ecological characteristics of this natural state and developed models and software that allow deviation from this state to be assessed. The model and database are used by all water agencies in the UK and Republic of Ireland to fulfil their statutory requirements and have led to new environmental standards that indicate that over 40% of the total length of UK rivers is at risk from elevated phosphorus concentrations.

Summary of the impact

Eutrophication results from excessive nutrient discharge to a water-body, reducing water quality. Eutrophication status must comply with the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD). As part of a consortium, UHI developed, validated and researched a model (CSTT) capable of screening a water-body for eutrophication. The model was used to defend the UK in the European Court of Justice (2009), against proceedings brought by the European Commission alleging infraction of UK obligations under the UWWTD. The model proved that British waters were not harmfully impacted by eutrophication, sparing the UK government ~£6 billion to implement tertiary sewage treatment across England and Wales.

Summary of the impact

Research undertaken by Professor Phil Jordan on nutrient pollution from land to waters has led to significant changes in government policy and in expectations for Water Framework Directive (WFD) and Waste Directive (WD) compliance in Ireland. The WFD is European wide legislation requiring that all water-bodies should be of at least good ecological status by 2015. His research has provided unequivocal scientific evidence that bio-physical lag times preclude the achievement of WFD water quality targets from diffuse source pollution by 2015. This has led to targets for good water quality in all River Basin Management Plans being extended without threat of European fines. Further, inclusion of Jordan's research on the specific environmental risk of rural point source pollution in assessments of septic tank system risk has resulted in the overturning of a European Court ruling under the Waste Directive, and the consequent lifting of daily fines of €19,000.

Summary of the impact

Research, undertaken at the University of Sheffield since 2001, into the discolouration of drinking water occurring within distribution systems has had economic, policy and professional practice impacts on the water supply sector since 2008. This has resulted in improved levels of service, has safeguarded water quality delivered to the public and has delivered substantial economic savings. For example, in one of the few cases where monetary value is available, Wessex Water made 63% savings on two trunk main schemes with an initial estimated cost in excess of £1M. The 4 and 7 km lengths of these trunk mains represent less than 1% of the trunk mains being impacted by our research. Our research has resulted in a step change in the concept and approach to the management of discolouration in water distribution systems.

Summary of the impact

Water is essential to society. The water industry constitutes a significant part of economic activity locally, nationally and internationally, and land and water management are crucial to environmental quality. Typically, water resources are governed by top-down, hierarchical approaches at state level. In contrast, the research of Professor Laurence Smith has demonstrated the success of approaches that privilege local stakeholder input and collaborative management at catchment level. Research outputs have contributed to improved and reformed water management in the UK and internationally, evidenced by their adoption by local authorities, NGOs, Defra and others, and promotion in the guidance proffered by organisations including Defra and the OECD.

Summary of the impact

Research into the characteristics and remediation of mining pollution has had sustained and significant impacts (2008 - 2013) on environmental policy and practice at regional, national and international scales. Impacts, all with documentary evidence, include:

• Defining locations for engineering interventions to manage pollution in the economically important River Tyne and its estuary (S1).
• Triggering, and supporting delivery of, multi-million pound government investment in remediation of mining pollution nationally (S2, S3, S4).
• Determining design of the first large-scale `passive' metal mine drainage treatment system ever built in the UK (S3, S5).
• Ensuring European mining pollution issues are properly addressed in production of definitive international guidelines on mining pollution management (S6).
• Shaping of public policy and practice for management of water in mining regions of Peru and Honduras via international advisory roles (S7, S8).