Need to know: Water source protection zones

摘要

GROUNDWATER PROVIDES a third of drinking water in England and Wales, 7% in Northern Ireland and 3% in Scotland. In some areas of southern England, it supplies up to 80% of potable water.The Environment Agency (EA) designates source protection zones (SPZs) around these supplies - keystones of protection, together with policies for preventing pollution. SPZs are defined by the EA (in England), Natural Resources Wales, and the Environment and Heritage Service (in Northern Ireland) for public drinking water supply sources such as wells, boreholes and springs.They show the level of risk of contamination from activities on or in the ground that have the potential to cause groundwater pollution in the area and affect water quality at an abstraction.The EA classifies groundwater source catchments into four main zones: 1. Inner protection zone (SPZ 1) - the zone closest to the site of the well or borehole, showing the area of highest risk.This zone is designed to protect against the effects of human activities that might affect the groundwater source, particularly against microbial pollution. SPZ 1 is defined by a 50 day travel time from any pollution below the water table to the source.