Ofwat calls for detailed river health action plans

Water companies have been ordered to publish detailed plans by the end of April setting out what actions they will take to improve water quality in rivers.

In a letter to company leaders, Ofwat’s interim chief executive David Black said their response to the mounting public anger over the poor health of England’s rivers will be a “defining moment” for the sector: “We will play our part, and work in partnership with others, but we want to see companies demonstrate they understand the importance of the issues and show the leadership needed to restore public trust.”

Black’s letter underlined the need for the sector to take full responsibility for its environmental impacts. He said their plans should be available for customers and the wider public to see how they intend to reduce harms to rivers from their activities – including from the use of storm overflows. They should be specific about the actions that will be taken, what the effects of those actions will be, and the time frame for delivery to the end of the current price review period in March 2025.

“Improving the sector’s action on rivers and reducing harm from storm overflows will require sustained actions addressing the root causes of the issue. Companies must act now – there is nothing in the regulatory regime that prevents companies from tackling these issues immediately,” he wrote.

In November, Ofwat and the Environment Agency launched an investigation into the uses of combined sewer overflows by companies and whether these align with their environmental permits. Ofwat is expected to update on the ongoing work into how companies manage their wastewater treatment works and any further action that will be taken later this month.