The good news is that water pollution caused by nitrates has decreased in Europe over the past two decades.  However, agricultural pressures are still putting water resources under strain.  The latest Report on the implementation of the Nitrates Directive reveals that nitrates concentrations are slightly decreasing in both surface and groundwater and sustainable agricultural practices...

The 2012 report, “Review of California’s Water Recycling Criteria for Agricultural Irrigation,” was developed in response to increased interest in expanding the amount of recycled water used for agricultural purposes.  It specifically addressed the risk of exposure and infection from waterborne pathogens, such as Cryptosporidium and E. coli, due to the irrigation of a wide variety of food crops using recycled water. Key...

In our experience, water is one of the most expensive resources to businesses to which they pay the least attention. Quite often the water bill is only received or reviewed 1 – 2 times per annum and signed off as “just one of those things we have to pay”. ECOS have worked with many businesses...

Member states must begin to monitor levels of three pharmaceutical substances in water by September 2015, under a new directive published. They opposed a European Commission proposal to set concentration limits for these substances during discussions in the Council of Ministers. Anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac and two substances used in contraceptive pills, E2 and EE2, will be on...

The LIFE+ Information and Communication project RESTORE (LIFE09 INF/UK/000032) has published a new guide to river restoration called Rivers by Design. The guide is aimed at planners, developers, architects and landscape architects and seeks to show them how to maximise the benefits of river restoration in development projects. It explains the context and need for river restoration, illustrating how...

The UN Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate initiative announced the release of its Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines providing a common approach to corporate water disclosure. Corporate water disclosure involves Collecting data on the current state of a company’s water management Assessing the implications of this information for the business, developing a strategic response Reporting this information...

In 2012 it was announced that responsibility for key water related projects, including the metering of domestic water supply, would fall under a new section of Bord Gais Eireann, Irish Water. It is proposed that Irish Water will be statutorily responsible for both investing and operating water services infrastructure in its role as a provider...

On 17 December 2012, the EU’s Environment Ministers adopted conclusions setting out key actions to improve governance by those involved in managing water resources Improving land use Addressing water pollution Increasing water efficiency and resilience. The conclusions are the Council’s first response to the recent Commission communication“A blueprint to safeguard Europe’s water resources” and underline...

Limerick County Council has achieved ISO 24512:2007 certification for its management of the Kilmallock Water Treatment Scheme, which serves 2,500 customers in south County Limerick.  The standard is awarded by the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI), the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) member body for the Republic of Ireland.  ECOS Environmental Consultants Limited

The European Investment Bank is providing a €200m loan to Ireland’s Water Service Investment Programme (WSIP) to support 23 water investment projects across Ireland. The projects include provision of new water mains, water and wastewater treatment facilities and reservoirs, as well as measures to improve water conservation. The responsibility for water services delivery is moving...