16 Jan 2025
The 5th edition of the well-known textbook “Urban Drainage” by David Butler, Chris Digman, Christos Makropoulos and John W. Davies has just been published. Photo credit: Chris F Keeping its balance of principles, practice, and research, this new edition has had the most comprehensive update of any edition so far. It includes a […]
14 Nov 2024
Research and development in the wastewater sector have shown that offsetting greenhouse gas emissions through improved efficiency and resource recovery is possible, but efforts beyond science and engineering are necessary to achieve net zero. Wastewater treatment is responsible for a relatively small percentage of global CO2 emissions, but it is one of the largest sources of […]
06 Nov 2024
A report by sustainability think tank the Institute for European Environmental Policy UK (IEEP UK) looks at the implications of diverging wastewater policy between the UK and the EU. Photo credit: Joseph Russo EU law concerning collection and treatment of wastewater (sewage) has been dominated by the 1991 Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive. […]
18 Sep 2024
NICE-R NetNature 2 is a free, open-source user-tailored tool to explore the potential of nature-based solutions (NBS) for treating different types of wastewater in cities, rural and peri-urban areas These systems can be implemented as natural technologies in different built-up spaces for the purpose of retaining, treating and, ultimately, reusing the treated water at a […]
29 May 2024
The government has published a list of over 140 wastewater treatment works legally required to be upgraded to stringent nutrient removal limits. The requirement to deliver nutrient neutrality will enable the construction of thousands of homes and improve aquatic ecosystems. Water companies have a duty to ensure wastewater treatment works serving a population equivalent over […]
08 May 2024
Reported by the BBC High visitor numbers are turning one of Britain’s most scenic lakes green, researchers say. A report funded by the UK space agency suggests a link between peak tourist periods and algal blooming at Windermere in the Lake District. Algal blooming is caused by warm temperatures and nutrients, and can make the […]
01 May 2024
Interesting article in Smart Water Magazine, which looks at the implications of the new EU wastewater directive, approved by the European Parliament in April this year. The Directive covers the treatment requirements for the removal of micropollutants, i.e., substances present in very low concentrations. It proposes their removal through quaternary treatment in Article 8, mandatory […]
24 Apr 2024
A Guardian investigation has spoken to whistleblowers who say UK water companies are knowingly failing to treat legally required amounts of sewage, and that some treatment works are manipulating wastewater systems to divert raw sewage away from the works and into rivers and seas. It is well known that water companies are dumping large volumes […]
