17 Jul 2024

The latest annual report from the Drinking Water Inspectorate shows that 99.97% of water samples in England complied with regulatory drinking standards in 2023. Chief inspector Marcus Rink said: “Drinking water in England is amongst the most tightly regulated and best quality in the world. Water companies consistently meet the stringent regulatory standards.” But he […]

17 Jul 2024

Interesting piece in New Civil Engineer Water running off roads in the UK is carrying pollution into the country’s waterways and causing “catastrophic damage”, but the issue has “flown under the radar” according to a new whitepaper from Keyline Civils Specialist. The report states that there are 1 million instances in the UK where water […]

17 Jul 2024

This new research article in naturewater suggests that current approaches to flood risk assessment must consider constraints and adaptation gaps systematically, especially where they may lead to flood adaptation limits. Without assessing these dynamic relationships, flood managers may overestimate the efficacy of flood adaptation measures and underestimate the unequal distribution of flood risks. Abstract Flood […]

17 Jul 2024

This silver medal winner at the Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival is a raingarden with a series of limestone stepping stones across a central wet channel and gently sloping berms, filled with adaptable plants that can withstand temporary waterlogging. It is both functional and beautiful, seeking to inspire homeowners to future-proof their gardens, by capturing […]

11 Jul 2024

New Environment Secretary Steve Reed has announced a series of initial steps towards ending the crisis in the water sector. He has today announced: He has written to Ofwat to ask them to make sure funding for vital infrastructure investment is ringfenced and can only be spent on upgrades benefiting customers and the environment. He […]

11 Jul 2024

Ofwat has published its draft determinations for English and Welsh water companies, allowing a spending package of £88bn over the next 5 years, £16bn less than proposed by companies in their business plans. Ofwat’s headlines Investment of £10bn to tackle storm overflows with a target to reduce spills from storm overflows by 44% from levels […]

10 Jul 2024

New Environment Secretary Steve Reed used x (formerly known as twitter) to set out the top 5 priorities for Defra in the new parliament. These are: Rivers and seas clean up Zero waste economy Support famers for food security Nature recovery Protecting communities from flooding Also of interest, these key points from CIWEM – Labour […]

10 Jul 2024

Over at the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband sets out his priorities for the department. These are: delivering our mission to boost energy independence and cutting bills through clean power by 2030 taking back control of our energy with Great British Energy upgrading Britain’s homes and cutting fuel poverty […]