Catchment management versus capital-intensive approaches to drinking water quality compliance: evidence from a cost-effectiveness analysis
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Catchment management approaches to improving drinking water quality have become a popular alternative to costly water treatment which deals with the consequences of water quality issues rather than tackling them at source. These schemes have the potential to enhance water quality and deliver multiple additional benefits including carbon sequestration, biodiversity, erosion/flood defence, greater amenity value contributing to health and well-being, and benefits to the local economy. However, more evidence is needed to demonstrate their cost-effectiveness. This paper reports on a cost-effectiveness analysis of catchment-based vs capital-intensive approaches to achieving drinking water compliance in the pesticide MCPA and THMs (trihalomethanes) in the Derg catchment on the Ireland/Northern Ireland border. The analysis identified a hybrid strategy as the best solution combining capital-intensive and catchment management approaches. There was insufficient evidence that THM breaches could be prevented with catchment measures so capital measures would be required. However, the study found that, projected over a 30-year period, the estimated cost of MCPA compliance was £12.1M using capital-intensive approaches, whereas catchment approaches could be more cost effective by a factor of three at £3.4M, though this depends critically on the underlying assumptions such as the farmer uptake of glyphosate and its approval status.
Authors: Catherine A. Glass, Diane E. Burgess
Institution: Agri Food and Biosciences Institute
Language: English
Subfield: Water Science and Technology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4409574155