The Environment Agency’s draft river basin management plans for England have been accused of lacking ambition given the slow progress to date in delivering ecological improvements.
The plans are designed to protect and enhance water environments at catchment level to boost natural assets, whilst setting out how to manage and fund work.
The agency said its objectives were broadly supported in the responses to its consultation on the draft plans, but stakeholders wanted to see improvements achieved as quickly as possible to help the environment deal with the impacts of climate change.
Stakeholders widely agreed that more nature-based solutions with long-term funding for catchment partnerships should be employed across “source to sea”.
Respondents said water companies should substantially increase investment in nature-based solutions and welcomed the notion of a longer term, outcomes-based approach to planning to better align with the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan.
The replies called on Ofwat to ensure funding mechanisms do not inadvertently discourage the uptake of nature-based solutions by not including future operational costs in price determinations.
In water-stressed areas, respondents wanted to see water efficiency mandated for new developments as well a move to retrofit social housing and subsidies for private housing upgrades.
However, stakeholders said there is too much emphasis on behaviour change to meet water supply shortfalls that risks being too “unpredictable and variable” to reliably benefit streams under pressure. The EA said people wanted to see more attention given by government and water companies to the development of technologies to reduce consumption and wasted water without relying on consumer habits.
Respondents urged the government to bring in tougher building regulations that are mindful of impacts on water resources and existing infrastructure as well as flooding concerns, specifically sustainable drainage systems.
They said other priorities for government should be to push water companies to invest more in infrastructure and coordinate a strategy to tackle river pollution from all sources, including highways and agriculture.
The EA reviews RBMPs every six years, with the next update due in December 2027.