Watercourses, PCPs and the Water Framework Directive

Aqua Enviro's conference is intended to ensure delegates will: be aware of the origin of PCP's and their fate during wastewater treatment; understand the potential risk of PCP's in sewage effluent to the aquatic environment; learn of the necessity to remove these compounds in order to meet our WFD obligations and identify the business opportunities for removal technologies and strategies.

A bathroom contains a vast array of toiletries, perfumes, deodorants and skin care products. Open your medicine cabinet and see the range of painkillers, contraceptive pills, analgesics and stomach care products. Now imagine the number of these products distributed throughout the UK and consider that all of them will eventually end up in the sewer via the toilet, sink or shower. Their ultimate fate is in the river and then the sea.

Water Companies continue to invest heavily and the chemical quality of UK rivers is continuing to improve, over the past three years, such that 79% of river length is now of good quality. By contrast, the more rigorous measure of biological quality has remained unchanged at 72% of river length over this same period. More detailed analysis of aquatic environments has shown a widespread presence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products. Their annual consumption ranges from a few kilograms to several hundred tons per individual. These compounds are a persistent presence due to their continual discharge into the aquatic environment.