Nitrate Pollution in Inland Waters: Causes, Consequences and Policy

This paper considers the problems related with excessive concentration of nitrates in inland waters. According to recent concerns about the level of nitrates in water, the British situation will be studied. Potential health and environmental problems are examined given new evidence for their linkage with nitrate concentrations. The paper will also consider the role that water companies play when treating polluted water and charging consumers for water supply. Current legislation dealing with nitrate pollution is also discussed. Moreover, the role of spatial variation and farmers' crop production is examined in order to distinguish what the key explanatory factors are, for nitrate pollution. The study focuses on the most important crops in terms of areas cultivated, aiming to indicate which inputs are more relevant for determining nitrate concentration in water. It concludes with a discussion of potential economic instruments to control nitrate pollution.Nitrates, water, pollution, policy, fertilizer