20 Feb 2025

Thames Water is among several water companies to ask the economic regulator, Ofwat, to refer its Final Determination to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for a redetermination. Others include Anglian Water and Southern Water. The Board of the UK’s largest water and wastewater services company made the unanimous decision after concluding that the Final […]

20 Feb 2025

Defra has published the first suite of adaptation reports submitted by organisations in England as part of the fourth round of the adaptation reporting process under the Climate Change 2008 Act.   Photo credit: George Desipris   They include several water companies, and the Canal and River Trust. The reports highlight: the current and future […]

20 Feb 2025

New published research has found that chlorinating drinking water at levels common in the United States and European Union probably increases the risk of several cancers.     The process of disinfecting water with chlorine creates trihalomethane (THM) byproducts, which are found in virtually all public drinking water systems across the US and EU – […]

20 Feb 2025

The Environment Agency has published the results of a small research project aimed at identifying potential ways to optimise existing communication channels, and to highlight additional opportunities for disseminating bathing water quality information, drawing on behavioural insights. The research identified some factors that may contribute to low levels of engagement with bathing water-quality information, including […]

20 Feb 2025

UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR), the leading research organisation for the UK water industry, has announced the appointment of Mike Rose as new Chief Executive Officer with immediate effect.   Photo credit: UKWIR   With a career including senior positions in utilities and global consultancy organisations, Rose brings diverse experience to UKWIR. His appointment comes […]

13 Feb 2025

The Government has committed £2.65 billion to better protect 66,000 properties from flooding and coastal erosion by March 2026. The record two-year investment of £2.65 billion will see 52,000 properties benefit from new defences, with a further 14,500 properties benefiting from repairs and maintenance of existing defences.   Photo credit: Zac Firth   A full […]

13 Feb 2025

As the government this week opted to omit the Water Restoration Fund (WRF) from the Water (Special Measures) Bill currently progressing through Parliament, the Rivers Trust wrote to Water Minister Emma Hardy, calling on her to ensure money currently sitting unused in the Water Restoration Fund is paid out to start the task of reversing […]

13 Feb 2025

New research published in New Scientist says that severe droughts that persist for years have grown hotter, drier and larger since the 1980s. These long-lasting droughts – some of which are extreme enough to be classified as “megadroughts” – can be especially devastating to agriculture and ecosystems.   Photo credit: Yusuf Gündüz   Rising temperatures […]