Environment Agency secures record commitments from water sector
The Environment Agency, working with Natural England, has secured the “largest ever” environmental commitment from water companies to clean up the environment since privatisation.
The Water Industry National Environment Programme sets out more than 24,000 actions water companies must take over the next five years to meet their legal requirements for the environment. This series of targeted interventions represents a £22.1bn investment in the environment – four times more than was secured in the last Price Review and will deliver “tangible benefits”, the Environment Agency says.
The agreed actions include:
- Protecting and enhancing of 13,500 km rivers,
- Upgrading 2,350 storm overflows leading to an estimated annual reduction of sewage spills by of 85,000 annually,
- Improving 21 newly designated bathing water sites across England,
- Installing 3,500 monitors at emergency overflows sites.
Alan Lovell, Chair of the Environment Agency, said: “This unprecedented level of investment represents a vital step forward towards ensuring we have clean, safe, and abundant water now and for future generations.”
He added: “We will work closely with Defra, Ofwat and other regulators to monitor water company progress and ensure they deliver what has been promised. If water companies fail to carry out their legal obligations to the environment, we will take action.”
Steve Reed, Secretary of State for the Environment, said: “We are also going further to fix our water system through the Water (Special Measures) Bill, by introducing new powers to ban the payment of bonuses for polluting water bosses and bring criminal charges against lawbreakers.”
The investment was secured through Ofwat’s final determinations announced in December and has been factored into upcoming changes to customer bills.
