Pesticide Residues in Water

While Pesticide application regimes in the United Kingdom are at their strictest ever, it is still possible to come across pesticide residues in water that are at or above the level considered safe.

While it is unheard of to find this level in drinking water delivered by a water utility, for privately sourced water supplies where there is any contamination by farm run-off, there is always the risk that pesticide residues can be found.

While the presence of residues at or below the maximum level considered safe will most likely be readily detected in many areas of run-off. Levels above that level, while being rare, might occur where the spraying regime has not been satisfactorily controlled or perhaps a rain storm has washed the applied pesticide from the field prior to the applied pesticide degrading to a safe level.