Source apportionment of annual nutrient and sediment loads to rivers in England and Wales, from the SEPARATE framework

Estimates of discharged loads of nitrogen, phosphorous and fine-grained sediments to rivers in England and Wales from multiple sector sources, reported at Water Framework Directive catchment scale, from the SEctor Pollutant AppoRtionment for the AquaTic Environment (SEPARATE) modelling framework [1]. The SEPARATE framework integrates information on pollutant emissions from multiple sources to provide apportionment and summarises these estimates on the basis of the WFD cycle 2 waterbodies for England and Wales. The estimated loads are expressed as tonnes per year. Sources are both diffuse and point sources. Diffuse sources include agriculture, urban, river channel banks, atmospheric deposition; point sources include sewage treatment works, septic tanks, combined sewer overflows, storm tanks. The pollutant loads and percentages are given as cumulative values with the values from the upstream catchment. Phosphorous is reported both as dissolved phosphorous and total phosphorous. [1] Zhang, Y.; Collins, A.L.; Murdoch, N.; Lee, D.; Naden, P.S. (2014) Cross sector contributions to river pollution in England and Wales: Updating waterbody scale information to support policy delivery for the Water Framework Directive. Environmental Science & Policy, 42, pp 16-32. doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2014.04.010