01 Oct 2026
Image description: A line of stepping stones cutting across Ogmore River near Bridgend. Photo by Lisa Baker on Unsplash The Environment Agency’s latest weekly summary shows no change to drought status in England. Ten of its areas remain in drought and the rest are in prolonged dry weather. By 22 September, England had received […]
19 Feb 2026
Image description: A wide view of a lake, grass and mountains in Cockermouth Cumbria. Photo by Joy Roxas on Unsplash Discovery and investigation of ‘toxic pollution hotspots’ The Guardian has exclusively revealed a number of ‘toxic pollution hotspots’ has been uncovered across Cumbria and Lancashire, with high levels of the banned cancer-causing “forever chemical” Pfos detected in rivers and groundwater at 25 sites. Pfos is a type of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (Pfas), […]
13 Aug 2024
Almost 500 different chemicals, some of which are banned, have been found in various mixtures across all 171 river and groundwater catchments tested in England in 2024, according to data from the Environment Agency, analysed by the Guardian and Watershed Investigations. More than half of them are classified as very toxic, toxic or harmful to aquatic […]
13 Sep 2023
According to an investigation by the New York Times, the US is using up its groundwater at an alarming rate, threatening to squander a resource that is the backbone of the country’s farming system. Data analysis found that in the past decade, four of every 10 groundwater sites in the country hit all-time lows. This […]
15 Mar 2023
Growing number of studies detect antibiotics, medicines and caffeine in groundwater (europa.eu) Production and use of medicines, antimicrobial and pharmaceutical products, is increasing globally – along with the risk of their ingredients and breakdown products reaching the environment. The effects of such contamination may carry both human and ecosystem health risks. Antibiotics in soil and […]
06 Oct 2022
How old is your water? It may seem like a peculiar question at first, but there are real implications to how long a drop of water has spent underground. Research suggests that the water cycle is speeding up in some places as a result of human enterprise. Scientists at UC Santa Barbara discovered […]
23 Mar 2022
It was World Water Day on 22nd March, with a special focus on Groundwater. Most of Europe’s drinking water and a significant proportion of water used in irrigation come from groundwater. A European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing, published on World Water Day, provides a European overview of this key resource that is under increasing pressure […]
05 Oct 2021
From Defra The Government has unveiled proposals to improve water quality and regulate activities that affect water supplies which are intended to: modernise the system of licensing water abstraction – when water is taken from the environment for use in farming, food manufacturing and public water supplies – by giving businesses and other licence holders […]
