A collaborative technical focus group has been set up by British Water to find new ways to reduce levels of micropollutants in wastewater.

The group, which comprises British Water members, had its first meeting in February and will meet again in May.

Chaired by Fabio Bacci, innovation manager at consultancy Glan Agua, the group will work to develop solutions to treat emerging pollutants – contaminants that were unknown or that little was known about until recently - present in substances such as medicines and pesticides. Information on new developments will be shared with the rest of the industry.

Mar Batista, technical manager at British Water, said:

“The myriad of chemicals now entering water sources and being identified in drinking water poses a growing challenge to the water industry. More research needs to be done to understand the implications of the complex issue and it was clear from the focus group’s first meeting there is a strong desire to work collaboratively to approach this.

“Joining forces enables us to share knowledge and ideas, putting us in a stronger position to develop new solutions. We would welcome new British Water members to the group to share their knowledge and expertise on the subject.”

Bacci said:

“The opportunity to lead this focus group is a privilege for Glan Agua. Emerging pollutants constitute a considerable challenge, primarily because of the large number of chemicals present in wastewater. A concerted action, spearheaded by this newly formed group, will certainly allow us to achieve more meaningful results. On behalf of Glan Agua, I wish to thank British Water for enabling the establishment of the technical focus group.”

To find out more about joining the focus group, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .