The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has launched a new inquiry into water quality in rivers with a focus on the water industry and urban diffuse pollution.

The EAC has previously inquired into nitrate pollution so this inquiry intends to focus on the water industry and urban diffuse pollution.

The Committee said that water quality has implications across the whole ecological system, from plant life to fish stocks to the health of the population. However, surface, coastal and ground waters in England suffer from significant pollution problems.

Inland water quality has also been rising up the agenda as UK summers get hotter and more attractive for wild swimming. No UK river has designated bathing water status while Germany has 38, Italy 73 and France 573.

Water pollution remains a major problem for the UK in achieving targets established under the EU Water Framework Directive (requiring all European surface water to reach “good ecological status” by 2015 with a maximum deadline of 2027), which will be carried over in some form to targets under the forthcoming Environment Act.

In 2019, Government reporting showed that only 16% of English rivers met good ecological status and no river met good chemical status under the Water Framework Directive.

Sewage is estimated to account for 55% of the rivers that are failing to reach good ecological status – currently, untreated sewage is discharged directly into rivers across England and Wales from nearly 18,000 sewer overflows.

This can lead to pollutants such as organic material that depletes the dissolved oxygen in the water, and other pollutants such as phosphorus, nitrates, ammonia, pathogens, and manmade toxic chemicals entering the water environment.

Urban runoff is a significant contributor to the overall pollution load suffered by watercourses. Pollution from highways can contain high levels of pollutants including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons which are persistent and carcinogenic. Unlike sewage works’ discharges, highways outfalls are not permitted and not monitored. This type of pollution can be prevented with the use of nature based solutions and sustainable drainage systems, which also contribute to the urban realm and increase biodiversity.

Setting the context for the inquiry, the EAC has also pointed out that water companies have committed to invest £4.6 billion between 2020 and 2025 towards environmental improvements. However, despite the significant investments already made, Defra acknowledges progress has flat lined in recent years.

Environment Agency chair Emma Howard Boyd has said that the performance of water companies against environmental standards had deteriorated in 2018 and was not improving in 2019. At current rates of progress it will take over 200 years to reach the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan target of 75% of waters to be close to their natural state, the EAC added.

The Committee is now inviting written submissions on the following questions:

• What are the best indicators for river water quality that could be used as targets being developed under the Environment Bill?
• How could drainage and sewage management plans, introduced by the Environment Bill, play a role in reduced sewer discharges?
• How adequate are the monitoring and reporting requirements around water company discharges? How can technology improve and assist with transparency and enforcement?
• What is the impact of plastic pollution and other materials on drainage and water quality in rivers and what should be done to mitigate it?
• How can consumers be persuaded to change their behaviour to minimise pollution?
• What is the required investment level needed to minimise storm overflows vs the scope for sustainable drainage and nature-based solutions?
• How effective are the planning policy and standards around sustainable drainage systems to reduce urban diffuse pollution in England?
• Should local authorities and highways agencies be given a duty to prevent pollution to watercourses without prior treatment?
• How effective is Ofwat’s remit and regulation of water companies? Does it facilitate sufficient investment in improvements to water quality, including sustainable drainage systems and nature-based solutions such as constructed wetlands?
• Is adequate investment being made in adapting water treatment systems to future climate change?
• How could the designation of inland bathing waters by water companies affect the costs of achieving the associated water quality standards?

Respondents do need not answer all the questions and evidence need not be limited to the questions suggested by the EAC.

Deadline to submit written evidence via the Committee’s web portal is 11.59pm on Friday 5 February 2021 - click here to access the Call for Evidence.