Protecting and improving our nation’s rivers, seas, lakes and other waters is hugely important to local communities and to our precious wildlife.
Here are some of the recent actions taken to deliver cleaner and more plentiful water:
Investment
- £60 billion over 25 years to revamp ageing assets and reduce the number of sewage spills by hundreds of thousands every year.
- A Water Restoration Fund has opened for applications and channels water company fines and penalties into on-the-ground projects to protect and improve our rivers, lakes, and streams.
- £74 million available to help farmers invest in improved slurry infrastructure to tackle water pollution, improve air quality and make better use of organic nutrients.
- A new plan to better protect and preserve the River Wye for future generations, including up to £35 million in funding and the appointment of a new ‘River Champion’ and taskforce
Regulation
- The Environment Agency is quadrupling its number of water company inspections, enabling them to carry out 4,000 inspections by the end of this financial year.
- 100% of storm overflows are now monitored in England, providing a complete picture of discharges across the country.
- 27 new bathing water sites have been designated ahead of the 2024 bathing water season and will be monitored by the Environment Agency
Enforcement
- Water bosses will be banned from receiving bonuses if a company has committed serious criminal breaches, pending consultation by Ofwat.
- The cap on civil penalties for environmental offences has been removed.
- A new portal to make it easier for internal water company whistleblowers to safely report serious environmental wrongdoing by water companies to the Environment Agency.
You can read more about action for clean and plentiful water in the Plan for Water, published in April 2023.
5 comments
Comment by John w. Baxter posted on
Blaming the Victorians for all today s problems in the water industry is like saying that all of the problems we face today are the result of local government in its running of water companies.
We have moved on; the water resources have been exploited,the regulations and rules of the game have been bent and not enforced and as a result we have dead water courses not unlike the river Wye, which have no doubt witnessed DEFRA,local planning, Cargill, EA etc. inputs which have resulted in overloaded watercourse, overloaded land inputs,overlooked planning inputs,profitable poultry processes all with EA and DEFRA approval.
When will the DefraEarth Observation of Excellence apply modern technology to replace so much of the EA work that seems to have failed us, use modern monitoring to overcome some of the problems companies like U U and the EA have had to put up with using past technology to monitor the decline of world heritage sites as if oblivious or asleep.
When is the gamekeeper going to become clearly differentiated from being the poacher in the water/ environment business……and who is going to be made accountable for future improvements?…..shareholders?….look at National Grid for example and see if their shareholders are prepared to invest for the future…..then see if the McQuarries of the world are prepared to do the same.
Comment by alan wightman posted on
The Guardian, today, but no rebuttal please as one picture speaks a 1000 words. This country has an enemy within and that is DEFRA´S bosses.
"Embarrassing´...UK´s Environmental Agency Chief admits Regulator buried Freedom of Information Requests at the River Summit. Officials do not want want to reveal the truth.
Environment halved water use inspections & failed to monitor Water Firms in England. Waiting to see how you apply the law at Brixham, SW Water?
Remember, Invest in Bottled Water Companies as tap water questionable.
Please no rebuttal to The Guardian as insult to intelligence of the public.
Comment by alan wightman posted on
The Guardian, today, but no rebuttal please as one picture speaks a 1000 words. This country has an enemy within and that is DEFRA´S bosses.
"Embarrassing´...UK´s Environmental Agency Chief admits Regulator buried Freedom of Information Requests at the River Summit. Officials do not want want to reveal the truth. Been doing so for past 14 years e.g.
Environment halved water use inspections & failed to monitor Water Firms in England. Waiting to see how you apply the law at Brixham, SW Water?
Remember, Invest in Bottled Water Companies as tap water questionable.
Please no rebuttal to The Guardian as insult to intelligence of the public.
Comment by alan wightman posted on
This Government is so tiresome and has done very little via DEFRA for the past 14 years! Now, after announcement of July 4 Election we finally have action but too much contaminated water has doomed the sinking ship.
In the National Press we are now being advised to stock up on Bottled Water of course in environmental "Green" Plastic. What a `legacy´ for the Government and leaving DEFRA to `carry the empty, dirty can´.
The foreign investment-shareholders of Water Companies hastily withdrawing many billions of pounds after years & years of Profits. The government has left the Taxpayers´ to pay the price by the certain and considerable increase in our water bills. Investment? Bottled Water firms!
Comment by William Hughes-Games posted on
All these initiatives sound right 'on the money' to use an American phrase but if you haven't included an extensive plan for increasing the number of beavers in all your catchments, you are missing one of the least expensive, most effective measures you can take to improve not only the quality of your fresh water but the usable quantity of water. This is even more so as we enter a period in which precipitation is coming in heavier downfalls with longer drought periods between rain fall events.