There has been a lot more talk about water quality in recent times. Increased construction activity and its impact on the natural environment have led to a surge in demand for water quality management, following the introduction of new legal frameworks. 

You can get highly reliable water quality data simply and quickly just by submersing any of our sensors in the water, perfect for use during water quality management projects, including during your site investigations of brownfield sites, pipework, drains, groundwater, tanks, and more.

The role of urbanisation in degradation of water quality

As the population of towns and cities continue to grow, and industries grow too, the demand for resources also increases, which in turn puts a strain on water sources. 

Urban areas are typically covered with impervious surfaces such as roads and buildings, which prevent rainwater from soaking into the ground. When it rains, the water runs off these surfaces, picking up pollutants like oil, chemicals, and debris, which can contaminate water bodies and cause a decline in water quality. 

Additionally, the increased urban population leads to higher amounts of wastewater generated from households and industries. Unfortunately, untreated or poorly treated wastewater is often discharged into rivers and natural water sources, thereby contributing to water pollution.

However, the Government introduced the Water Environment Regulations 2017 to tackle these issues. Read more below.

Regulations for water quality in the UK

The Water Environment Regulations 2017 apply to surface waters and groundwater (water below the surface of the ground). 

The regulations set out requirements to prevent the deterioration of aquatic ecosystems. 

These plans contain the main issues for the water environment and the actions needed to tackle them. For example, how to help protect and enhance local surface water and groundwater in ways that allow new developments to proceed.

Product Showcase: YSI Quatro Water Quality Meter

The YSI Professional Plus handheld multiparameter meter is an ideal choice for groundwater sampling, low flow sampling, aquaculture, coastal sampling, surface water sampling, drinking water sampling or wastewater sampling – and is a popular choice for remediation projects.

It provides extreme flexibility for the measurement of a variety of combinations for dissolved oxygen, conductivity, specific conductance, salinity, resistivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), pH, ORP and temperature. Also a very powerful lab instrument for BODs, pH and ORP.