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Abstract
The European Union Water Framework Directive requires governments to set water
quality objectives based on good ecological status. This includes specific
requirements to control diffuse pollution. Diffuse phosphorous (P) pollution plays a
pivotal role in influencing water quality with losses of P associated with soil particles
often linked to soil erosion. The Mitigation Options for Phosphorus and Sediment
(MOPS) project, using three case study sites, is investigating the cost effectiveness of
specific control measures in terms of mitigating sediment and P loss from combinable
crops. The analysis is conducted at the farm level using a simple spreadsheet model.
Further development of the model will allow the results to be extrapolated to generic
regional farm typologies. Results from the initial farm level analysis suggest that
some mitigation options may not be cost effective in reducing diffuse pollution,
however, that other options may be very cost effective.