OEP says water consumption moving in ‘wrong direction’

The government has failed to improve the natural environment against all 23 targets set out for 2021/22 with “the current pace and scale of action” criticised by its own watchdog as inadequate to deliver necessary changes.

The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) independently assessed progress in line with the Environmental Improvement Plan for 2021/2022 and found it fell short on progress towards the 25-year environment plan.

The OEP’s first report since its formation recognised that water consumption “is moving in the wrong direction” and stated progress for the 2038 target of 20% per capita consumption reduction was “significantly off track”

The OEP said progress towards clean and plentiful water targets fell short in areas assessed, and data was unavailable in others for which it categorised progress as “significantly off track”.

It criticised stagnant progress on achieving “good ecological status” in waterbodies and the unavailability of current data but warned that “considering lag times in environmental responses, it is doubtful whether even with interventions, ‘good ecological status’ can be achieved for all water bodies.” At 2019, just 16% had met this target.

Efforts to cut nitrogen, phosphorus and agricultural runoff that enter waterways by at least 40% by 2038 could not be assessed and the status of land management schemes remained unclear. The report said the goal of cutting phosphorus by 80% from treated wastewater by 2038 was challenging to assess for a single year because of the five-year investment and planning cycles water companies work to.

Sector-wide efforts to reduce leakage and improve resilience to extreme weather meant the goal of preparing public water supply infrastructure for climate change scored eight out of nine.

The OEP assessed water companies’ ability to cope with drought conditions and flooding. It noted that resource security changed little between 2016 and 2021, meaning risks remained high. It highlighted unsustainable abstraction takes place at 15% of surface water bodies and 27% of groundwater sources.

The report called for better alignment and co-ordination at all levels of local and national government, with actions that extend beyond Defra. It also recommended better targeted and timely data collection and collation, with the goals of the 25-year plan in mind and improved assessment of progress.