Following a recent consultation on charge proposals for water quality permits, the Environment Agency (EA) has confirmed that charges will increase significantly, especially for water companies.

The proposals were covered in Water News in January. The EA has now published the outcome of the consultation, including the response summary, detailed summary of responses, list of respondents and economic impact assessment.

The EA acknowledges that “Water and sewerage company annual subsistence activities will see the most significant level of charge increases as this is where the biggest change in regulatory effort is happening”

The EA will use the additional income to raise the number of site inspections and significantly increase audits of sites and management systems, including around 400 news staff. Site inspections will rise from 1,000 per year at present to:

• 4,000 per year by April 2025
• 10,000 per year by April 2026