The Environment Agency has announced an investment of over £5 billion to be dispersed over five years to protect England’s water and tackle the impacts of pollution and climate change.
In plans published yesterday (Thursday, December 22), the agency said the River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) will bring together local actions that government, the Environment Agency, the water sector and partners must deliver.
The agency said the water environment must improve. RBMPs are a legally binding environmental planning framework setting environmental objectives to tackle the chief challenges facing the water environment.
These challenges include:
- Water company pollution;
- Agricultural pollution;
- Climate change;
- Population growth.
The plans bring together an extensive range of actions and investment to tackle these challenges – setting out £5.3 billion worth of action by 2027 which is already planned and funded.
This includes around £4.3 billion of action by water companies and more than £500 million to mitigate the impacts of agriculture on the water environment.
Environment Agency executive director, John Leyland, said: “Whilst progress has been made to protect and enhance England’s waters, it is clear that considerable time and investment will still be needed if we are to see the further improvement in our water environment that we all want.
“Without that investment beyond 2027, and if the impacts of climate change are left unchecked, the number of water bodies meeting the required standard could fall to just 6% by 2043.”
RBMPs
RBMPs are published every six years for each of the eight river basin districts of England – with the Severn River Basin District plan produced in close collaboration with Natural Resources Wales – and draw on the latest environmental monitoring data.
A wide range of external groups and organisations have contributed to the plans and work with the Environment Agency with the aim of ensuring that it achieves the ambition the plans set out with measures including:
- The Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP), driving improvements in water company abstraction and wastewater treatment;
- The Countryside Stewardship Scheme, rewarding farmers and land owners for their efforts to protect and improve their natural environment;
- England’s Nature for Climate Fund which will help support the delivery of the England Tree Action Plan and England Peat Action Plan;
- Measures funded by the Government’s Water Environment Investment Fund such as local projects to remove barriers from rivers and improve fish passage;
- Regional river, estuary and coast restoration and flood management projects and partnerships to restore natural river flows, improve water quality, restore habitats and reduce the risk of flooding.
