188体育

Across England, water companies are investing 拢4.6 billion in environmental improvements in the five-year period of 2020 to 2025. These improvements were developed and agreed with government and the water industry through Ofwat鈥檚 2019 Price Review process. Individual schemes are presented in the Water Industry National Environment Programme which then are delivered through changes to environmental permits regulating discharges to the water environment and abstraction licences regulating taking of water as well as infrastructure changes.

In addition, 5 water companies, Severn Trent Water, South Staffs Water, South West Water, Thames Water and United Utilities, will invest an extra 拢793 million, on top of their existing Water Industry National Environment Plan packages, to help the green economic recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Measures for the water industry are broadly divided into those related to the collection and treatment of sewage and those related to the supply of drinking water.

Measures include:

• improving sewerage systems and sewage treatment works to reduce the amount of pollution (ammonia, organic material, phosphate, nitrogen, faecal organisms, metals, and other toxic chemicals) discharged to the water environment
• reducing the number of sewerage misconnections
• working with farmers to reduce agricultural pollution from nutrients and pesticides
• reducing the amount of water abstracted from sensitive locations by taking water from alternative locations or by reducing demand for water, or both
• installing fish passes around water company structures such as abstraction weirs and reservoirs
• controlling invasive non-native species on water company land and via water transfers

Climate change adaptation and mitigation is an integral part of water company planning and is an essential part of assessing scheme options.

This is particularly important for water resources planning, where water companies must plan a minimum of 25 years in advance to make sure that there is enough water to meet future demands. The first regional water resource plans will also improve water supply security through strategic local planning, alongside the Regulators鈥� Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (鈥楻APID鈥�) programme for strategic water resources options. The long-term environmental goals established through the Environmental Destination adopted by regional planning will also see ambitious improvements in environmental resilience and protection.

It is important that close links are made between water resource planning and Drainage and Waste Water Management Plans, which are currently being prepared by the water industry.

Environmental improvements for the period 2025 to 2030 are now being planned. Water companies must improve their performance which has stagnated in recent years. Some companies have not achieved their statutory obligations, such as reducing leakage and reducing pollution from storm sewer overflows. Water companies need to be more ambitious and make a greater contribution to wider outcomes: climate change adaptation and mitigation, and more engagement and partnership working, while supporting a natural environment where plants and wildlife will thrive.

The Environment Agency exercises its permitting and enforcement powers under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016 and Water Resources Act 1991 as part of the programmes of measures to ensure water company discharges and abstractions are meeting environmental objectives for water bodies.

Farmers must not pollute the water environment. They must comply with regulations such as the Farming Rules for Water. These apply to manufactured fertiliser and all organic manures, including farm manure and slurry, sewage sludge (biosolids), and imported waste organic materials spread to land. Compliance with the Farming Rules for Water will help deliver improvements in water bodies and prevent deterioration. The Environment Agency exercises its powers under those regulations as part of the programmes of measures.

If they go beyond these basic requirements, the government will fund additional environmental outcomes through schemes such as Countryside Stewardship and the government鈥檚 new environment land management schemes. Farmers also help the environment through voluntary approaches and partnership projects. Ensuring effective enforcement of farming rules will be particularly important to deliver the objectives of the river basin management plans, as will effective advice through schemes such as Catchment Sensitive Farming.

The government are developing the environmental land management schemes鈥痶o pay land managers for delivering public goods. Through these schemes, farmers and other land managers may enter into agreements to be paid for delivering outcomes including improved water quality, habitat protection and creation, species recovery, natural flood management and carbon capture.

Measures include:

• improving soil management to reduce the loss of soil, phosphate and nitrogen
• improving management of animal slurry and manure to reduce pollution from phosphate, nitrogen and faecal organisms
• preventing pollution from other farm infrastructure such as silage clamps, milking parlours and livestock yards and tracks
• improving use of pesticides to reduce pollution of the water environment, particularly in catchments used to supply drinking water
• reducing the amount of water abstracted from sensitive locations by using water more efficiently and greater use of on-farm storage
• a stronger catchment鈥痜ocus鈥痜or water resources,鈥痺orking collaboratively with鈥痮ther stakeholders to find innovative integrated鈥痵olutions that give greater access to water and sustainable water use鈥痶hat promotes鈥痗atchments resilient to climate change鈥�
• preventing livestock from freely accessing watercourses, where they may cause poaching of soil and release of sediment and pollutants, particularly where there is a risk of polluting bathing waters
• changing land use, including woodland and wetland creation or converting arable land to grassland which requires less fertiliser
• re-naturalising rivers and coast defences, including making space for water and coastal realignment

Rural land management measures will support climate change resilience, for example, by planting trees next to rivers and streams, which can reduce river temperature and the risk to salmonid fisheries. Protecting soil, peat and moorlands also help store carbon. They will also reduce sedimentation of rivers, making rivers better able to store more flood water. In the appropriate locations the growth of energy crops can provide a sustainable energy source for hydrogen and electricity production, as well as wider benefits to flooding, water and soil quality.

Implementation of the government鈥檚 new environment land management schemes will play a major part in delivering the environmental objectives of the river basin management plans. Increasing the amount of funding from the private sector (for example, food and retail supply chain through farm assurance schemes) will also be important to help farmers reduce their impacts and make a positive contribution towards a healthier water environment.

Measures for the government sector include those to mitigate and reverse the environmental impacts of the country鈥檚 infrastructure, for example, roads, and flood and coastal erosion risk management structures. Measures are delivered by various government-funded agencies (for example, National Highways and the Environment Agency鈥檚 Flood and Coastal Risk Management capital programme). They are also delivered by local authorities or non-governmental organisations including catchment based approach partnerships. Many of these initiatives involve mobilising communities to implement action to protect and improve water, drawing upon government funding such as the Water Environment Investment Fund (WEIF), linking with the Environment Agency鈥檚 Environment Programme.

Measures include:

• improving landscapes and habitat, including removing redundant physical modifications (such as weirs associated with historic abstractions)
• treating contaminated mine water from abandoned coal and metal mines
• regional鈥痺ater resources鈥痯lanning delivering long鈥痶erm sustainable solutions鈥€�
• reducing the spread and impact of invasive non-native species
• protecting bathing waters by implementing seasonal dog exclusion zones along the coast
• installing passive treatment systems to treat highways run-off
• installing fish passes around road or flood defence structures
• using natural flood management measures to slow, store and filter floodwater, with consequent wider environmental benefits

During the coming years it is likely securing government funding will remain a challenge. This funding needs to be targeted carefully to deliver maximum benefits for people and wildlife. There will also be opportunities to make environmental improvements through good design as existing infrastructure is renewed or updated. This will put a greater focus on nature based solutions to deliver multiple outcomes for people and wildlife including adaptation to a changing climate.

The Government has committed more than 拢750 million to England鈥檚 Nature for Climate Fund. This fund will help support the delivery of the鈥�England Trees Action Plan鈥痑nd the鈥�England Peat Action Plan. Both action plans will help create catchments more resilient to climate change and deliver nature based solutions that directly improve the quality of the water environment. Opportunities for estuarine and coastal habitat (saltmarsh and seagrass) creation to absorb carbon are also being explored.

This sector group covers a wide range of activities, requiring a similarly large range of measures to mitigate their impacts and provide positive environmental improvements. The measures are implemented through a variety of regulatory and voluntary programmes, including the spatial planning system and building regulations.

Measures delivered by these sector groups are often improved by working with the catchment based approach partnerships to bring sectors and communities together to deliver more for the local environment.

Measures include:

• reducing the number of sewerage misconnections
• improving septic tanks, private sewage treatment plants and effluent treatment plants
• using sustainable drainage systems to reduce pollution from urban areas, including roads
• drainage mapping (including road drains), stencilling and planning to minimise the risk of contamination to surface and groundwater
• increasing blue and green infrastructure such as green roofs and walls, rainwater harvesting, green corridors, vegetated sustainable drainage systems and drought resistant parks and gardens
• planting trees to cool local environments and capture atmospheric pollutants that could end up in the water environment
• legislation for mandatory biodiversity net gain, to ensure that new developments, including housing, benefit biodiversity by creating and improving habitats and local green spaces
• improving the efficiency of water use
• improving leachate management at problem waste sites by improving collection and treatment systems or off-site disposal
• improving environmental accountability to reduce contamination of surface water drains
• reviewing and, if necessary, improving dredging plans
• installing fish passes around physical modifications (for example, locks on navigable rivers)
• mitigating environmental impacts of physical modifications, where this does not compromise legitimate use

Many of the measures listed above are common to all sectors and cover from source to sea, catchment to coast. For instance, all sectors can help implement nature based solutions, or put in place action to reduce water use.

The catchment based approach has been a key mechanism to help facilitate better join up between sector groups and communities, so the sum of their collective action is more effective than their individual contributions.

One of the key comments many people made on the Challenges and Choices consultation was the need for more effective collaborative working.

The Environment Agency wants to continue working with partners to build on the great contributions made by the catchment based approach, and to deepen and strengthen place based working. In particular, linking more effectively with coastal partnerships and the developing nature recovery network groups.

Looking further forward, government bodies, local authorities, developers, other businesses, and the third sector may need to review and radically reform ways of working, including governance structures if we are to achieve the environmental objectives of the plans.

Government is establishing a鈥�Nature Recovery Network鈥痶o improve the landscape鈥檚 resilience to climate change, provide natural solutions to reduce carbon, manage flood risk, and sustain ecosystems such as clean water, clean air and improved soil.

The Environment Act 2021 introduces Local Nature Recovery Strategies to drive the development of the Nature Recovery Network. The strategies will draw on wide cross-sectoral stakeholder engagement and data to target more coordinated, practical, and focussed investment in nature鈥檚 recovery and wider environmental benefits. Each strategy will, for the area that it covers:

(a) agree priorities for nature鈥檚 recovery

(b) map the most valuable existing habitat for nature

(c) map specific proposals for creating or improving habitat for nature and wider environmental goals.

They are intended to deliver nature based solutions and wider environmental benefits. Rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal habitat, and other water-dependent natural habitats, including wetlands, saltmarshes and peatland, are expected to feature strongly in these strategies.

Climate change is starting to impact on ecological communities. The river basin planning process overview includes a summary of how climate change has been factored into the programmes of measures.

It is crucial the programmes of measures help mitigate and adapt to climate change if the environmental objectives of the plans are to be achieved.

It is also essential in the transition to net zero low carbon technologies and fuels, such as ground source heating and cooling, biomass crops, low carbon hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage, are compatible with the environmental objectives of the plans.

In practice, many mechanisms and on-the-ground actions simultaneously deliver multiple outcomes including helping to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Nature based solutions are particularly effective in this regard. For instance, restoring a wetland habitat within the landscape can help improve water quality, flows, and habitat. It will build resilience against deterioration through reducing risks of floods and droughts.

Here are some examples of how sector-focussed measures will reduce the impact of climate change on the water environment.

4.6.1 Central government measures

The central government measures include the following.

Environment Agency Environment Programme focusses on delivery of measures that help water bodies achieve the environmental objectives in the river basin management plans. The scope has recently expanded to include projects that will increase natural carbon storage and enable the water environment and water-dependent wildlife to adapt and become more resilient to climate change. For example, removal of physical structures such as weirs to help species such as migratory fish extend their migration routes to potentially cooler reaches via exercise of statutory powers.

Actions under the government Policy Statement and National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy will prepare for flooding and coastal erosion in the face of more frequent extreme weather as a result of climate change 鈥� Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management programmes deliver wider outcomes for water whilst strengthening coastal resilience to the impacts of sea level rise and coastal erosion, for example nature based solutions such as natural flood management and restoring priority water-dependent habitats. Some of these programmes also focus on adaptive management to meet different climate scenarios.

The鈥痝overnment has committed to reform local flood risk management planning so that every area of England will have a more strategic and comprehensive plan that drives long-term local action and investment by 2026. In July 2021, Defra announced it would set up an鈥�advisory group鈥痶o provide recommendations, advice and views to inform future policy.鈥疍efra has set out that future local flood risk management plans should support a catchment-based approach, considering all sources of flood risk and the potential for action across the whole of an area, upstream and downstream, by a variety of bodies. A series of advisory group meetings concluded in June 2022 and Defra is now considering next steps.

Abandoned Mine Water Programme includes opportunities for utilising geothermal heat from abandoned coal mines to heat new homes; constructing wetlands that can capture carbon as well as improve water quality and vegetating mine waste heaps to capture carbon.

The government鈥檚 10 point plan for a Green Industrial Revolution commits funding to the development of low carbon technologies such as ground source heating and cooling systems to decarbonise heating, hydrogen fuel and carbon capture and storage to mitigate climate change with wider benefits to the natural environment.

Highways England Environment Programme aims to tackle things such as road water run-off that contains persistent chemicals that leech into the environment and control of invasive non-native species 鈥� both of which will reduce the pressure on wildlife and help it to adapt to climate change.

Nature Recovery Network to improve the landscape鈥檚 resilience to climate change, provide natural solutions to reduce carbon, manage flood risk, and sustain ecosystems such clean water, clean air and improved soil.

Local Nature Recovery Strategies to support the Nature Recovery Network 鈥� the strategies are designed as tools to drive more coordinated, practical and focussed action to help nature and they are intended to deliver nature based solutions and wider environmental benefits such as climate change mitigation and natural flood management through tree planting.

The Nature for Climate Fund will unlock the potential of tree planting along 242,262 km of watercourses through the Woodlands for Water Partnership project and a package of targeted supplements with the England Woodland Creation Offer to encourage woodland creation within river corridors. This will buffer pollution reaching rivers and provide shade, making rivers more resilient to climate change.

4.6.2 Urban land-use planning measures

For example:

• biodiversity net gain 鈥� the Environment Act 2021 mandates a new approach to development which aims to have a net positive impact on biodiversity overall
  • developers will be expected to deliver habitat creation or enhancement as part of delivering mandatory 10% biodiversity net gain, to be maintained for at least 30 years
  • this should lead to delivery of actions that restore and enhance priority habitats, benefit priority species, tackle invasive non-native species and improve resilience to climate change
• work with partners involved in development and development reform to improve local delivery through better alignment and integration of planning programmes to deliver multiple benefits for communities including tackling the climate emergency

4.6.3 Industry and business (including waste and ports) measures

For example:

• partnership projects that are part-funded by industry, for example stewardship initiatives such as Coca Cola on the River Nar in partnership with World Wide Fund for Nature - these projects help to tackle climate change by reconnecting and restoring water-dependent habitats, and taking an adaptive pathways approach
• The Courtauld Commitment 2025 aims to reduce food waste, cut carbon and protect critical water resources 鈥� it brings together organisations across the food system to make food and drink production and consumption more sustainable

4.6.4 Rural land management measures

For example:

• environmental land management schemes 鈥� the climate emergency is an integral consideration of the government鈥檚 plan for transitioning to more sustainable agriculture and environmental land managements
  • net zero and climate change adaptation will be supported through schemes
  • examples of how this will be achieved are through increasing afforestation and peat restoration
• during the environmental land management national pilot and in 鈥榯ests and trials鈥�, schemes will be tested and developed that deliver outcomes for climate change

4.6.5 Water industry measures

For example:

• the programmes of measures include measures that will benefit the water environment that will be delivered through Price Review 19 and Price Review 24 鈥� this includes measures such as net zero (for example, reduced power use, less concrete use), habitat restoration to sequester carbon, asset resilience, adaptive pathways approaches to help us adapt to a range of climate change scenarios
• all English water companies have signed up to a public interest commitment with specific 2030 commitments on carbon and leakage reduction, as well as plastics, social mobility and water poverty 鈥� it is expected that regional water resource groups will build on this to stretch their ambitions

4.6.6 Cross-cutting measures

For example:

• integrated delivery including local delivery (such as the catchment based approach) which improve planning through better understanding of risks and evidence to underpin decision making
• Nature for Climate Fund which funds tree planting and peatland restoration to sequester carbon

This is not an exhaustive list of the measures that will help tackle climate change. For example, there are actions in the programme of measures that explore green financing options and greater flexibility in catchment permitting, aiming to maximise the balance between regulatory investment and voluntary investment.