They will be advised about "conscientious spray application
methods" and chemical management on farms.
The National Farmers' Union has organised a conference on
November 3 with South Staffordshire Water and the Environment Agency.
NFU West Midlands senior technical adviser Mr Andrew Richards said:
"With bigger farm machinery, improved fertilisers, pesticides and
herbicides it is important that farmers are kept up to date with the
latest findings from hydrologists so they can incorporate them into
their own on-farm management regime.
"In this way farmers can help ensure that only the cleanest
water reaches our rivers and streams.
"Farmers already adhere to very strict guidelines on spray
practices to reduce the chances of pollution.
"These include the use of buffer zones, which are areas of
land adjacent to watercourses where spray must not be used.
"They are also aware of possible airborne pollution and so
limit their concentrate application to low wind days," said Mr
Richards.
Careful disposal of the foil caps on spray containers, avoiding
drips when filling up the applicators in the yard, and not up-ending
empty spray containers help towards avoiding a pollution incident.
As with improvement to water treatment processes, water monitors
can detect one drop of concentrate in a stream nearly ten miles long.
Mr Richards said: "Care must also be taken after spraying, as
the equipment used for spray operations will need to be rinsed off
because both internal and external surfaces can be coated in pesticide
residues.
"The equipment must be cleaned away from drains, streams and
concrete yards because the residue could wash into a local
watercourse."
Dr Mike Turrell, of South Staffordshire Water, who has helped to
organise the conference, said: "All the water we supply to the
public has to conform to very stringent legally-enforceable quality
standards.
"Unless the increasing level of pesticides in rivers can be
halted, we will have to build yet more treatment plants and the very
significant costs of this will fall on our customers," said Dr
Turrell.
The conference will run in two sessions at Hampton Loade treatment
works, near Bridgnorth.
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Flood+of+of+advice+about+water+pollution.-a060489489
