24 May 2023
Water industry faces backlash over overflows
As reported in last week’s news, Water UK has apologised on behalf of English water companies for sewage in rivers and announced a plan to: Triple investment to £10bn in the next five year period (subject to regulatory approval) to cut sewage overflows by up to 140,000 each year compared to the level in 2020. […]
24 May 2023
Warning to ministers over privatised water kept secret since 2002
Ministers were warned about the dangers of private equity taking over the water industry in a briefing that has been kept secret for 20 years, according to the Guardian. Details of the analysis are still being withheld as sewage pollution and the failure of water companies to invest in infrastructure are under national scrutiny. On […]
24 May 2023
Privatised water model coming to an end?
In a new paper, Time to pull the plug on the water privatisation model, Professor Sir Dieter Helm says the current water model needs an overhaul: “The sheer scale of public anger is a once-in-a-30-year opportunity to put it right, reform properly and create a new model that lasts,” he said. He calls for: A […]
24 May 2023
Ofwat Innovation Fund – latest winners
Farmers could soon be reimbursed for creating water storage ponds or water “batteries” as part of an innovative drought-prevention project that has today received funding from Ofwat’s Innovation Fund. With droughts affecting the UK for much of last summer, the project, from Westcountry Rivers Trust and South West Water, will not only contribute to better […]
24 May 2023
Multi-million-pound project aims to transform national approach to nature-based solutions
The Rivers Trust will co-lead an innovative new project working to remove barriers and develop new enabling mechanisms for the adoption of nature-based solutions at a catchment scale. The project has been officially announced, thanks to a successful bid to the Ofwat Innovation Fund, led by The Rivers Trust, United Utilities, Jacobs, and Mott Macdonald. […]
24 May 2023
Improvements needed to respond to extreme events
The DWI (Drinking Water Inspectorate) has published its review of the December 2022 freeze-thaw incident. It finds that companies have improved on their performance from the 2018 freeze-thaw but require further improvements in their planning, resourcing and response. The watchdog made a series of recommendations and suggestions to the industry. It said it was considering […]
24 May 2023
A new life for London’s lost rivers
BBC Travel piece Few visitors know that London has 640km of waterways – and there’s a serious movement taking place to restore these “blue corridors” to their former glory. Though most visitors to London think only of the River Thames, the city is a myriad of waterways. Old maps show a skein of rivers and […]
Prev