Campaign group calls government action on water quality ‘unacceptable’

A campaigning group, River Action, has called the government’s water quality targets ‘unacceptable’ and is urging ministers to step up their ambitions.

River Action said the targets would have ‘little impact’ and would be ‘too little too late’ as it insisted the public’s outrage over contaminated water to be treated seriously.

According to the organisation, the proposals are less ambitious than the Water Framework Directive (WFD) targets and will take longer to achieve.

Now the group is calling on the government to set a new target to improve the overall health of the UK’s rivers to replace WFD targets which expire in 2027.

Charles Watson, Chairman at River Action, said: ‘It is just unacceptable for the Government to respond to the dire state of our rivers by simply removing any legal requirement for their improvement. Failing to set such a requirement is a significant step backwards and leaves a gaping hole in UK environmental legislation. This would undermine the Government’s stated commitments to environmental protection as well as being significantly out of step with the rising levels of public outcry on this issue.’

The government has proposed to reduce the length of rivers and estuaries polluted by metals from abandoned mines by 50%, reduce phosphorous loadings in treated wastewater by 80% and the public water supply per head of population by 20% by 2037.

Targets have also been set to reduce agricultural pollution in water by 40%, but River Action says this must be substantially strengthened and should include other substances, such as pesticides and antibiotics.

The group has said a catchment-specific approach should be taken, since some areas, like the River Wye, are in danger of succumbing to ecological collapse within the next few years.

River Action Advisory Board member, James Wallace, said: ‘Requiring just a 40% reduction in agricultural pollution by 2037 is tantamount to a death sentence for one our most iconic and beloved rivers. Applying a nationwide “one-size-fits-all” approach is nonsensical given the different ecological conditions of rivers. Government must introduce a ‘special measures’ designation for catchments in severe distress, ensuring that they receive immediate protection and that emergency resources are unlocked, as River Action has outlined in our recent Plan to Save the Wye.’ 

Calls for more legal protections for conservation sites, targets to improve existing protected areas and for regulators to have the power and funding to protect rivers and wildlife sites have been made too.

A soil fertility and fertiliser plan to reduce the country’s dependence on fertilisers and a scheme to encourage farmers to protect rivers could also support farmer’s livelihoods and improve water quality. 

Photo by Ian Cylkowski