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Catchment Afforestation and Water Supply in Strathclyde Region
Author(s) -
GREENE L. A.,
TAYLOR J. A.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
water and environment journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.437
H-Index - 37
eISSN - 1747-6593
pISSN - 1747-6585
DOI - 10.1111/j.1747-6593.1989.tb01526.x
Subject(s) - afforestation , water quality , water supply , environmental science , business , water resource management , environmental planning , environmental protection , environmental engineering , agroforestry , ecology , biology
The intensive afforestation of the uplands in Strathclyde Region, encouraged by Government policy, has given rise to growing concern about the impact of this significant change in land use on the quality and quantity of water supplies. The smaller high‐quality upland sources, which historically have minimal treatment, are those most at risk from changes as a result of forestry activity. Problems caused by a reduction in yield at some sources in the Region are discussed. A number of afforested water‐supply catchments have been monitored since 1984 with the aim of identifying trends in water quality, and the results indicate increases in colour, turbidity, acidity and aluminium in supplies after activities such as access road construction, ploughing and draining. Evidence is presented of the continued leaching of phosphate more than six years after the application of fertilizer. To enable improved advance consultation and planning to protect public water supplies, there is a requirement to be able to indicate the likely sensitivity of individual supplies to the various effects of afforestation. The Region is committed to a substantial ten‐year capital expenditure programme to upgrade water‐treatment works to comply with the recent European Community (EC) water‐supply standards imposed in 1985. Any significant long‐term changes in water quality associated with forestry activity will make this programme more costly to achieve.