12 May 2020

Ali Morse, Water Policy Manager at the Wildlife Trusts uses this blog to introduce the key pressures facing the water environment and how best they can be tackled using a holistic approach. May 2020 Managing the freshwater environment is indeed a tricky balance; we expect our waters to support wildlife, provide drinking supplies, take away […]

05 May 2020

The government has issued (1 May) new guidance on access to green spaces. Recognising that exercise is still important for people’s physical and mental wellbeing, the government has said people can leave their homes for exercise once a day. Please use the following guidance in order to stay safe: stay local and use open spaces […]

05 May 2020

From a recent Technical Brief from  the WHO (World Health Organisation) “There is no evidence to date that COVID-19 virus has been transmitted via sewerage systems, with or without wastewater treatment. Furthermore, there is no evidence that sewage and wastewater treatment workers contracted SARS, another type of coronavirus that caused a large outbreak of acute respiratory illness […]

05 May 2020

Last week, the Chairman of the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC), Philip Dunne, wrote to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) warning that parts of UK could run out of water and calling for Government action, requesting an update on measures such as leakage targets and managing water consumption. Read the letter here. […]

05 May 2020

Last week, we reported on the extension to the River Basin Management Plans Challenges and Choices consultation. This week, the Blueprint for Water coalition responds. Wildlife Link: ‘Every day we rely on water to survive; to clean, spray, drink and wash. The way we treat water today will shape all of our futures and it […]

05 May 2020

From the Guardian, 20 April This is the peak season for the arrival of what is hoped will be millions of glass eels swimming up Britain’s estuaries to reach fresh waters where they can grow into adults. The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is a curious creature with a complex lifestyle that is still barely understood. […]

05 May 2020

The latest edition of the Institute of Water Journal has technical research papers focusing on: 3-Parameter Log-logistic distribution modelling and scenario development to evaluate the UK’s water demand Reducing customer discolouration complaints-insights, opportunities and challenges Regulatory risk strategies based upon recommendation analysis: The principles and practice of delivering innovative regulation in drinking water quality The […]

28 Apr 2020

Severn Trent Water and United Utilities are among the companies reminding people that visitor centres are closed and not to swim in reservoirs. In a powerful piece reported in the BBC, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres argues that, despite the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, the world mustn’t forget the “deeper environmental emergency” facing the […]