Ultimately it will mean a far healthier water environment – cleaner rivers, lakes, coastal waters and bathing waters. Water will be richer in wildlife and a far nicer place to be near, live near, play near, swim in, fish in and sail on.
The benefits, to be delivered by water companies, will be different in every region of England and Wales, as the issues that water companies have to address will be different. However the sorts of environmental benefits we will see are:
- improving the quality of bathing waters
- improving the quality of water that is discharged from sewage treatment to either rivers or the sea
- managing the risk from certain chemicals
- protecting shellfish waters which will improve the quality of shellfish that people eat
- ensuring that abstractions do not impact adversely on habitats which are protected by law
- improving inland waters for fish
- reducing the risk of eutrophication (excessive plant growth and decay).
In terms of numbers, the water quality improvement actions will deliver the following outcomes:
- improve or prevent deterioration in 3290 km of rivers in England and Wales
- improve or prevent deterioration in 4027km2 of transitional or coastal waters (transitional waters largely refer to estuaries)
- improve or prevent deterioration in 21 km2 of lakes
- improve or protect 27 wetlands
- improve 31 bathing waters
- improve 31 Shellfish waters
- improve or maintain 37 groundwater bodies.
Water resource improvements will deliver:
- 2985 km of river improved towards international requirements
- 11 wetlands of international status improved or protected
- 520 km2 of wetlands of international status improved or protected
For Wales the National Environmental Programme will deliver the following water quality improvements:
- improve or prevent deterioration in 213 km of rivers
- improve or prevent deterioration in 3582 km2 of transitional or coastal waters
- improve or protect 2 wetlands
- improve 3 bathing waters
- improve or maintain 4 groundwater bodies
For Wales water resources improvements will deliver:
- 690 km of river improved towards international requirements
