Drinking Water Directives

In 1980 the Drinking Water Directive was introduced, which specified a maximum limit of 0.1 /rgU for any pesticide in drinking water and 0.5 /rgU for total pesticides. Monitoring was needed for a wide range of pesticides in water and this became the impetus for developing new analytical techniques capable of detecting pesticides at very low levels. Consequently, analytical techniques improved and more pesticides were detected in watercourses and water supplies. 

There has been an increasing level of nitrate contamination of borehole supplies in the east of England, because of the use of agricultural fertilisers since the Second World War . Nitrates are known to exacerbate certain corrosion processes e.g. at soldered joints however the maximum value allowed for this ion by the EC drinking water directive (50 mg NO3 r ) should limit its significance. 

European Council Directive 91/414/EEC (Registration Directive), 18 540 European Drinking Water Directive,... 

The Drinking Water Directive (EC 1998), concerns the quality of water intended for human consumption. The objective of the Drinking Water Directive is to protect the health of the consumers in the EU and to make sure the water is wholesome and clean (free of unacceptable taste, odor, color) and that it has a pleasant appearance (EC 2007a). 

EU Member States must transpose the Drinking Water Directive into their own national legislation. The Member States can include additional requirements, e.g., regulate additional substances that are relevant within their territory or set higher standards. But Member States are not allowed to set lower standards as the level of protection of human health should be the same within the whole EU. 

The Commission assesses the results of water quality monitoring against the standards in the Drinking Water Directive. After each reporting cycle the Commission produces a synthesis report, which summarizes the quality of drinking water and its improvement at a European level. The synthesis reports are available to the public (EU 2007). 

Jorgensen, C., Buchardt, B.H., Fawell, J., and Hydes, O. (2008) Preliminary draft final report on Establishment of a list of chemical parameters for the revision of the Drinking Water Directive, ENV.D.2/ ETU/2007/0077r. 

Domoic acid 535-536 Donor substrate 373 Dopamine 519 Double helix 417, e210 Drinking Water Directive 311 Drosophila 322 AChE 314 melanogaster 314 wild-type enzyme 314 Drug 418... 

Drinking water Direct analysis or concentration by coprecipitation and solvent extraction fusion Fluorometry (total uranium) <20 pg/L (direct) 0.1 pg/L (cleaned) 104% (cleaned) Krieger and Whittaker 1980 (EPA Method 908.1)... 

Drinking water Direct injection DIN-ICPMS PN-ICPMS 30-40 ng/L No data Powell et al. 1992... 

The Pastel UV proved to be a suitable tool for the rapid (within two days) assessment of the spatial variability of NO3" concentration in the Hardt catchment area. It demonstrated that most surface waters in the Weiherbachgraben and Sauruntz sub-basins were characterized by NCh- concentration higher than 40 mg L-1 and that NO3- concentrations in ground water were above the EQS defined in the EU Drinking Water Directive 98/83/CE (European Commission, 1998). A further outcome of this study was the identification of critical pressure points in each sub-basin that may need further investigation and monitoring. 

Drinking Water Directive 80/778/EEC, Commission of the European Communities, Bmssels, 1980. 

While the amounts of nitrate could be certified in rainwater CRMs [3], their certification in freshwater CRMs was not possible owing to the stabilisation procedure used (involving an addition of nitric acid) [2]. Consequently, it was decided to organize a separate interlaboratory study of which the final aim was to produce artificial freshwater CRMs certified for their contents of nitrate, one with a low nitrate content (CRM 479) and one with a high nitrate content (CRM 480) [4,5]. These CRMs correspond to values below and slightly above the maximum permissible nitrate content (approx. 50 mg L" ) mentioned in the Drinking Water Directive. 

European Community (2004) Council Directive 98/83/EC on the quality of water intended for human consumption as of 3 November 1998 (Drinking Water Directive DWD) and The Bonn Charter for Safe Drinking Water , Water Safety Plans, IWA. 

Testing the potential of pipe materials to promote biofilm growth is needed because it may affect the taste, odor or turbidity of drinking water and may cause non compliance with microbiological water quality parameters and a risk to consumers health. Because EU Drinking Water Directive (98/83/EC) controls the water quality at the consumers tap instead of the point of supply, it is important to be assessed if the pipe material in drinking water supply systems release substances that may enhance or inhibit attached microbial growth. 

European Communities, Drinking Water Directive L330 1998, 32. 

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