30/03/10
The Environment Agency (EA) official plan for water resources calls for cooperation but proposes controversial and unproven solutions.
Against an objective to increase the resilience of water supplies and critical infrastructure to reduce the impact of climate change, the plan wisely encourages farmers to use water more efficiently and develop small-scale reservoirs.
Regrettably, however, there is no equivalent reference to more storage to enhance the resilience of the public supply.
On abstraction licensing, having failed to make the case convincingly for time-limited abstraction licenses, the EA will "refine and update the cost-benefit analysis... refine policy positions, develop guidance, and implement".
The industry has long argued that, in the majority of cases, compulsorily changing the status of abstraction licences is unnecessary and potentially counter-productive.
Action plan launched to tackle future water pressures
EA resources planning
Contact: Water UK Communication
