The European Environment Agency (EEA) reports that 85% of swimming sites across Europe monitored in 2017 met the European Union’s highest and most stringent ‘excellent’ quality standards for waters mostly free from pollutants. The results give a good indication where holiday makers can find the best quality bathing waters this summer. Nearly all 21.801 bathing […]
Giving evidence last week to a Parliamentary Inquiry, Environment Agency chief James Bevan admitted that England will miss its already deferred water quality targets out to 2027. The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee took evidence on Wednesday 21 November on the work of the Environment Agency. The EA is the main public body for […]
Environment Agency: A PhD student at Bangor University, co-funded by the Environment Agency, has taken us closer to using DNA analysis for routine monitoring of freshwater macroinvertebrates (animals a few millimetres long such as insect larvae). The project successfully used new techniques to analyse environmental DNA (eDNA) released by organisms into water, for example in […]
The government reports that Atlantic salmon have been discovered on the River Ecclesbourne, a tributary of the River Derwent, Derbyshire for the first time since the Industrial Revolution following work carried out by the Environment Agency and its partners. The discovery comes following the installation of fish passes on the River Derwent by the Environment […]
Europe: new report says water quality improves but challenges remain The quality of drinking water and bathing water, and the effectiveness of waste water treatment across the European Union continues to improve – but challenges remain, according to a new European Environment Agency (EEA) report has been published. However, pollution from sources like waste water treatment […]
The latest reports from the Environment Agency on environmental performance show that pollution incidents from water companies operating mainly in England are falling while the quality of the water environment continues to rise. In 2015, 65% of all serious pollution incidents affected the water environment, while 19% affected air and 21% affected land. The water […]
Torridge and North Devon Councils have established a new Water Quality task team to monitor and improve the water quality of the Taw and Torridge Estuary. Working in partnership with the North Devon Biosphere, Environment Agency and South West Water the group will be looking to bring the quality of the water in the region’s […]
Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom has announced plans to ban the sale and manufacture of cosmetics and personal care products containing tiny pieces of plastic, commonly known as ‘microbeads’. Each year billions of tiny beads end up in our seas from a range of products such as face scrubs, toothpastes and shower gels. These beads build […]