The Blueprint for Water coalition ‘Over the next 18 months, water companies in England and Wales will be drawing up their business plans for 2020 to 2025, as part of the ‘Periodic Review 2019’ (PR19).

The Blueprint for Water coalition is calling for water companies’ 2019 Price Review investment plans to deliver a ‘water neutral’ PR19 and for the firms to ensure that no overall increase in the amount of water is abstracted from rivers and groundwater – despite increases in population and climate change.

The group of 18 environment NGOs also want the companies to prepare strategic long-term wastewater plans to support their investment decisions along similar lines of Water Resources Management Plans.

“We look to Government to deliver reform of our archaic abstraction regime and to ensure that companies develop strategic, long-term plans for our wastewater systems, as they do for water resources.”

We want to see healthy rivers, clean beaches and coastal waters, safe drinking water, less waste, reduced flooding and thriving wildlife. Importantly, water company customers want to see this too. However, we have work to do: 13% of our freshwater and wetland species are at risk of extinction, and only 20% of water bodies in England and Wales are at ‘good ecological status’.

Over the next 18 months, water companies in England and Wales will be drawing up their business plans for 2020 to 2025, as part of the ‘Periodic Review 2019’ (PR19).

Water companies are major private investors in water and environmental management in the UK and the business plans introduced in 2020 will play a pivotal role in the stewardship of the environment. The Blueprint for Water believes that nature should be at the heart of water companies’ business plans and has developed a set of key priorities that we want to see reflected in these plans, to benefit both customers and the natural environment that we all cherish. 

Our four priorities for PR19:

1. Protect and restore catchments from source to sea.
2. Stop pollution from our waters.
3. Use water wisely and price water fairly.
4. Keep our rivers flowing and wetlands wet.

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