Bevan calls for fact-based water debate

Outgoing Environment Agency chief executive James Bevan has called for discussions around the water industry to be based on facts not “wild assertions, myths and outright untruths”.

Reflecting on the water industry before his departure at the end of next month, Bevan said that for all the debate about water pollution and finger pointing in the media and politics, everyone ultimately wants clean, healthy rivers.

Calling out misinformation as water has risen up the political and social agenda, he said: “Let’s have this debate on the basis of the facts not assertions – and there are some wild assertions, myths and outright untruths flying around. Let’s also be clear that we all want the same thing: everyone has an interest in clean and plentiful water.”

Every member of society has a role to play in cleaning up rivers, Bevan said in respect to ensuring household waste does not reach waterways. He added that water companies, farmers, policy makers, regulators and industry all have important roles to play.

“When people mobilise behind a cause things happen that might not otherwise have done so,” Bevan said as he recalled the “massive increase” to the public attention paid to water through public campaigns, media attention and parliamentary debates.

“I welcome the fact that the Environment Agency itself is being challenged to do more: no organisation is perfect; all good organisations constantly seek to listen, learn and improve; and while we will always do the best we can with the powers and resources we have, we can always do better,” he said.

Roles for farmers and water companies as “the main polluters” include addressing culture and behaviour, as well as to invest in maintaining modern sewage systems and agricultural assets like slurry storage.

He stated the need for regulators to exercise the powers granted by government and for policy to support the vision of a healthy water environment, which must be adequately funded.

Bevan, a supporter of the industrial action EA staff voted to take over pay and conditions, added that frontline workers “are not the enemy or the problem” and deserve to be supported not harassed.

Speaking at the World Water Tech Innovation Summit, the straight-talking outgoing head reflected on changes to the water environment in recent decades – good and bad.

Bevan noted the significant reductions in phosphorus and ammonia in waterways since 1995 as a sign of progress as well as the reduction of serious pollution incidents from more than 500 in the early 1990s to just 62 last year. He also noted biodiversity increases since the 1990s with otters now living in every county in England.

The vision of what success would look like, the outgoing chief executive said, is simple: clean and plentiful water, but added “that’s easy to say and hard to do”.

Bevan will step down from the Agency at the end of March after seven years as chief executive.