Advances in Water Treatment and Enviromental Management

4 WATER TREATMENTwith apparent changes in climatic conditions giving rise to the potential forregular shortages of water in certain parts of the country. The controlledallocation of abstraction of water from rivers and aquifers is an importantmatter for the NRA which has duties to ensure the availability of both waterfor public supply, and water for those other abstractors requiring it. Themaintenance of a balance of abstraction versus the minimum required flowin our rivers has an important bearing upon the environmental quality ofthose waters. Whereas at the present time we have concerns over theavailability of adequate water for our needs, the NRA also has responsibilityat the other end of the scale relating to water quantity, that is floodprevention. In recent months, we have experienced excessively wet conditionsin the UK, which has thrown an emphasis onto our work in this arena—particularly in relation to our role in maintaining and operating flood defencesystems, for the control of inland flooding from some of our major watercourses and those relating to sea defences. Moving on again to furtherresponsibilities put upon the NRA by the Water Act, it has duties to promoteconservation and recreation on waters and associated lands to which it hasrights. It has a duty to develop salmon, trout, freshwater and eel fisheriesand in some areas of the country the NRA is a navigation authority.This brief introduction has defined the breadth of the NRA’s responsibilities,all connected with the maintenance of the natural aquatic environment.GEOGRAPHICAL AREA OF RESPONSIBILITYIn view of the subject matter of this conference, I propose to concentrate onthe role of the NRA in controlling pollution and enhancing the quality of ournatural waters. This cannot be separated entirely from the business ofcontrolling water resources and the reduction of excessive abstraction.The 1989 Water Act conferred specific responsibilities on the NRA for waterquality in all controlled waters, and for the achievement of water qualityobjectives which are to be determined by the Secretary of State for theEnvironment and for which the NRA will be required to develop the relatedwater quality standards.Definitions of the extent to which its duties and powers apply, in geographicalterms, are laid down in the Water Act and such other legislation as wascarried through to this Act—for example its flood prevention activities oninland water relates to a definition of “main river”; pollution control andenvironmental monitoring activities are restricted to“controlled waters”. Animportant aspect of the developing legislation is the ever increasing rangeof waters which have been brought under control, from freshwater rivers in