WATER POLLUTION

WATER MANAGEMENT
(2009)
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WM 006
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Unpolluted water is essential for a healthy environment,

prosperity and a good quality of life. In Northern Ireland,
good water quality is vital for:

A safe drinking water supply.

Maintaining the quality of the natural environment.
Maintaining fish habitats (angling generates
considerable revenue in Northern Ireland).
Supporting water sports e.g. boating, swimming,
surfing, water skiing
Fish farming
Water for crops and livestock
Industrial use - e.g. abstraction for cooling water.

In rivers, lakes and the sea there is a finely balanced

community of animals and plants which rely on each
other for food. If one aspect of this system is impacted by
pollution, it can affect the survival of other organisms.
RED DIESEL POLLUTION
What causes pollution?

Pollution is caused by discharges from:

Agriculture - silage, slurry, fuel oil, silt, sheep dip and

other chemicals.
Industry - effluent from processes, fuel oil, chemical
spills.
Transport - road accidents or leaks involving e.g. fuel
tankers, milk tankers, etc.
Domestic sources - septic tanks, oil spillage.
Waste disposal sites - when rainwater seeps through
infilled waste it picks up pollutants such as ammonia,
metals, etc and if the site is poorly managed this
extremely polluting liquid (known as leachate) can
escape into watercourses.
Sewage and water industry -effluent form the sewage
treatment process and waste water discharges from
drinking water treatment plants can be polluting if not
properly treated before discharge.
Irrespective of the source (where pollution originates),
pollution is caused by the actions of people. Pollution can
be caused through carelessness, lack of planning, poor site
management, bad housekeeping and deliberate action.
Groundwater Water held in the rocks under the soil (this
helps to replenish water in rivers, streams etc).
What effect does pollution have?
The commonly perceived view of pollution is a sinking
tanker spilling oil, with dead fish and oiled seabirds an
unavoidable after affect.
Fortunately, these major incidents occur rarely. However,
over time, it is the vast number of minor incidents such
as silage entering a river, which affect our environment
adversely. The aquatic environment is a finely balanced
community of plants, invertebrates (e.g. mayfly and
stonefly larvae, snails) and fish. All these depend on the
other members of the community for food and/or shelter.
Pollution can have a subtle or severe effect on one or more
species within a community. This will often have a knock-
on? effect on the whole habitat.

What does Pollution affect?
Surface waters Rivers, Streams, Canals, Ponds and Lakes
Coastal waters The sea surrounding our coastline.
Wetlands - An area covered by shallow water during certain
parts of the year
Small rivers and streams have the same finely balanced
community as larger rivers. Pollution of small rivers is serious
as these are often spawning sites for salmon and trout.
These small tributaries feed into larger rivers. Pollution in
a small stream can therefore significantly affect the water
quality and habitat of a much larger river.
 WATER POLLUTION

The effects of pollution are sometimes not obvious or easily
measured. They include:
Damage to the plant community.
Damage to the invertebrate community balance.
Damage to fish gills and reduction in fish spawning or
growth.
Damage and destruction of plant or animal habitats.
Persistence of polluting chemicals in the environment
and food chain.
Volume and significance of pollutant
Name, address and telephone number of person
reporting the incident (this remains confidential);
Where pollution is occurring? (e.g. name of river, town
land, road, nearest town);
When was the pollution first seen? (e.g. is it occurring at
present? Has it previously occurred?);
What is the pollution? (e.g. appearance, smell, effect on
surrounding environment, amount of pollution);
Who is suspected to have caused the pollution? (name /
address etc);
Has the incident been reported to anyone else?

Not all types of pollution act in the same way. Small

POLLUTION HO
amounts/ concentrations of some substances e.g. ammonia,
metals, pesticides and oil can have very serious impacts. R
For example, one litre of oil will be visible and will pollute an TE Freefone* TL
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area of water equivalent to the size of three football pitches.

0 70 60
Who is responsible for dealing with
water pollution? 0800 8 D
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Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) has * L
M O BI LE C A LS C
A W
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responsibility for the protection of the aquatic environment HRS DAY, 7 DAYS
in N.I. It achieves this through a number of activities
including:

monitoring water quality;
preparing water quality management plans;
controlling effluent discharges;
taking action to combat or minimise the effects of
pollution;
supporting environmental research; and
working with catchment stakeholder groups accross N.I.
What can you do to help? - by reporting
water pollution incidents
When reporting water pollution, the following information
enables NIEA to assess, prioritise and investigate the
incident, thus greatly increasing the rate of substantiation
(confirming that pollution occurred and identifying the
source):
This 24 hour, 7 day week hotline should be used to report all
urgent water pollution incidents.
If you would like to report a pollution or incident that
does not require immediate attention, email: Emergency-
Pollution@doeni.gov.uk
Please note this method of reporting is only checked during
working hours.
FUTHER INFORMATION
For further Information on this topic or any other Environment
issue contact the address below.

Our aim is to protect, conserve and promote

the natural and built environment for the
benefit of present and future generations.

Northern Ireland Environment Agency

Water Management Unit
17 Antrim Road
Lisburn
BT28 3AL
(028) 9262 3168
www.ni-environment.gov.uk