27 Nov 2024
Defra has published bathing water results showing that 92% of English bathing waters meet water quality standards. The number of monitored bathing waters in England rated as poor and unfit for swimming has more than doubled, from 18 to 37. Out of the 450 sites regularly tested this summer for bacteria related to sewage discharges, […]
30 Oct 2024
According to The Observer, Water firms “passed” thousands of pollution tests under a self-monitoring regime … yet the tests were never even conducted, the Observer can reveal. The water firms’ own operational data for sewage plants across the country reveals how outflows of effluent had stopped – in some cases for just a few hours – on […]
12 Sep 2024
The government says that predicting where future flooding and droughts will strike next in the UK will be made easier under a new project for scientists using the latest tech and real-time data. It will help key bodies, like local authorities and the Environment Agency, to stem the worst of extreme weather’s impact on communities, […]
19 Jun 2024
Interesting piece published in The Conservation Freshwater ecosystems are the lifeblood of the natural world, yet they are facing a silent crisis. A 2022 report by the World Wildlife Fund revealed a staggering 83% decline in global freshwater vertebrate populations since 1970, a rate far exceeding that of any other habitat. The level of degradation to nature […]
14 May 2024
Defra has announced that a total of 27 new wild swimming spots in England are being designated as bathing waters ahead of the summer and will immediately benefit from regular water quality monitoring. Following a public consultation, the new bathing water sites will be designated ahead of the 2024 bathing water season, which runs between […]
16 Apr 2024
Innovate UK has announced £1.3 million of funding has been allocated across seven projects in the second stage of £2.1 million government marine Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) programme. These projects are for the development of complete end-to-end marine monitoring systems and their verification and validation. The Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment Programme is […]
03 Apr 2024
Rising political and public scrutiny demands better sewage monitoring. We need more accurate data alongside stricter controls, according to Peter Matthews and Alastair Chisholm, who propose improvements building on the Worshipful Company of Water Conservator’s recommendations. Demand for more stringent sewage effluent monitoring and enforcement has been growing for some time. The Environment Agency (EA) […]
30 Jan 2024
The Times reports that Defra ministers have told water company bosses they will no longer “mark their own homework” on whether they are illegally polluting rivers, in a shift in how the sector is regulated. Private water companies have to run checks to ensure they are meeting permits issued by the Environment Agency about how […]
