Towards a zero pollution strategy for contaminants of emerging concern in the urban water cycle

Abstract

A central component of the European Green Deal is the EU Action Plan ‘Towards Zero Pollution for Air, Water and Soil’ which sets out an ambitious strategy to achieve a Europe where pollution is reduced to concentration levels that are not harmful to human health and ecosystems by 2050. From a water perspective, particular concerns relate to contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), defined here as chemical and biological substances that are not regulated under existing EU water quality regulations but that have been identified as having a potential negative impact on human health and/or environmental endpoints. The development of comprehensive measures to address these emerging hazards requires a detailed understanding of the sources, pathways and fate of CECs within water environments. As a contribution to supporting delivery of the zero pollution action plan, the Water Europe Working Group on Zero Pollution has drawn together international expertise from research and practice to co-produce a series of recommendations for evidence-based policy development and co-identify knowledge gaps that currently hinder achievement of a zero pollution water environment. This opinion piece provides an integrated research and industry perspective on opportunities to enhance regulation from policy development and research perspectives. It is anticipated that implementation of these policy recommendations can significantly contribute to achieving the EU’s zero pollution objectives and UN Sustainable Development Goals (e.g. SDG 6 water and SDG 11 Healthy cities), with knowledge gaps forming the basis of a cross-sectoral CEC-mitigation research agenda.