A collaborative research project
WRc’s collaborative research project RAPID (Risk Assessment: Pesticide Information Database) was developed to provide an accessible one-stop-shop information resource for understanding pesticide risks to drinking water quality.
The project’s output is now offered as a subscription service for those across the industry looking for a comprehensive way to manage pesticide problems at source.
Key project highlights
Facilitated
strategic and tactical decisions regarding monitoring strategies, risk assessment, catchment investigations and treatment optimisation.
Supported
proactive protection of raw water sources through early detection and management of emerging risks, as well as water company collaboration to re-define best practice.
Provided
a source of authoritative information for a range of responses, from operational incidents and public enquiries through to industry developments altering pesticide risk.
The need for confident pesticide risk management
Pesticides pose a widespread risk to water quality in drinking water protected areas. Water companies have been
- challenged to take a more proactive approach to managing pesticide problems at source, and
- given greater flexibility and responsibility for monitoring and risk assessment.
Until recently, approaches to pesticide risk screening were often informal and sometimes yielded contradictory results, undermining regulatory confidence.
Our one-stop-shop online solution: RAPID
In response, a WRc Portfolio collaborative research project co-funded by UK water companies led to the creation of RAPID: a database tool that provides a comprehensive and accessible resource for evaluating pesticide risks to drinking water.
RAPID scores and ranks the relative exposure risk to surface water and groundwater quality for 276 active substances and identifies and prioritises risks by crops, chemical type and season.
The tool also provides detailed information on usage patterns; sources and pathways; analytical methods for detection in water; and treatability.
The database consolidates EU and UK data on pesticide properties, approvals and usage. RAPID users can access detailed data at a UK-wide, national, and regional level.
Why RAPID?
A unified solution
A unified solution is time- and cost-effective; all relevant information is gathered in one place, removing the need for access to several costly databases.
RAPID also facilitates the consistent management of shared water sources across teams within and between water companies.
User-friendly package
RAPID is optimised for PCs, tablets and mobile devices. The easy-to-use platform allows users to sort and filter data based on their needs, identifying and prioritising risks by crop, chemical type and season.
Pesticides are ranked by relative risk to surface water and groundwater by combining data on usage, mobility, persistence and treatability. This makes it easy for users to understand the risks of each pesticide.
Developed by experts
WRc’s team of water quality scientists, ecotoxicologists and water treatment engineers combine their expertise on the fate and beahviour of pesticides and risk modelling work to ensure the robustness of our tool.
RAPID includes a curated archive of articles describing recent developments in science, technology, agriculture, policy and regulation that could affect future risks.
Regular updates
WRc has completed an update to RAPID, our online pesticides risk assessment database for drinking water abstractions.
The update incorporates revised pesticide usage statistics, agricultural survey data and chemical property datasets, providing refreshed risk scores for both surface water and groundwater sources.
The database now includes information covering:
- 26 crop types
- 276 active substances
- More than 2,900 approved plant protection products used in UK agriculture
RAPID supports water companies in identifying substances that may pose the greatest risk within their catchments, helping to inform monitoring programmes, Drinking Water Safety Planning and wider catchment management activities.
The latest update was recently showcased to the South East Water catchment team, demonstrating how users can explore seasonal risks, crop-specific pesticide use and treatment considerations.