Impact analysis for the purpose of the introduction of DROPLET version 1.3.2

Samenvatting

The user-friendly software tool DROPLET (acronym for DRinkwater uit OPpervlaktewater- Landbouwkundig gebruik Evaluatie Tool) assists the Dutch Board for the Authorisation of Plant Protection Products and Biocides (Ctgb) in evaluating whether pesticides may exceed the 0.1 μg/L standard in one of the Dutch surface water abstraction points for drinking water production. Based upon Good Agricultural Practice DROPLET uses the peak concentration in the FOCUS D3 ditch (with spray drift deposition according to Dutch numbers) as starting point for the final, expected concentrations at the abstraction points situated in the larger waterbodies downstream. Results of this impact analysis showed, that for the plant protection products which have been authorized in the period 2014-2018, for which the current version of DROPLET (1.2) was used in the risk assessment, the use of the new DROPLET version (1.3.2.) has no effect on the conclusion for the drinking water criterion. The predicted concentration in surface water at drinking water abstraction points was below the threshold of 0.1 μg/L for all products for all abstraction points for both the old and the new model suite. Therefore, we recommend implementing the new DROPLET version in the national authorization procedure.