25 Apr 2023

The updated River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) were published in December 2022 under the Water Environment (England and Wales) Regulations 2017, which seeks to establish an integrated approach to the protection and sustainable use of the water environment. During previous RBMP consultations, stakeholders highlighted an insufficient focus on estuaries and coasts (E&C) within RBMPs. A ‘RBMP […]

12 Apr 2023

Defra has announced (10 April) that four swimming spots in England are being designated as bathing waters ahead of the warmer months and will soon benefit from regular water quality monitoring. Following a two-week public consultation, Sykes Lane Bathing Beach and Whitwell Creek at Rutland Water, Firestone Bay in Plymouth, and a section of the […]

12 Apr 2023

The Environment Agency has developed an operating framework for water supply reservoirs and flood risk management. This framework will: help decide which water supply reservoirs can provide flood risk management benefits enable consistent local decision making We have designed this framework to support engagement between the: Environment Agency water companies other partners, including local communities […]

12 Apr 2023

Floods Minister Rebecca Pow has announced the first communities in England to receive better flood protection as part of the government’s £100 million Frequently Flooded Allowance to protect areas which have been affected by repeated flooding. The first 53 projects announced today will be allocated more than £26 million in total, better protecting more than […]

05 Apr 2023

The Data Services Platform is provided by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and its agencies. It supports open access to environmental data for: the public partner organisations, their staff and contractors The platform provides: open data feeds application programming interfaces (APIs), built on linked data, which are aimed at system and […]

29 Mar 2023

Leading environmental commentator rails against government inaction on metering and private abstractions, as well as Ofwat and water companies Never mind the H20: this scheme to move water from Severn to Thames could be the new HS2 England’s water woes have a solution. But trying to move vast volumes of water from west to east […]