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It is looking increasingly uncertain that any member state of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) will achieve good status in all water bodies by 2015, and significant use of exemptions is likely to be required.

English and Welsh water companies, CCWater, Ofwat and Water UK are working together to set up an independent service to resolve disputes when companies and their customers are unable to reach agreement.

Water companies have published their business plans for 2015-20 and almost all will hold down bills to keep them in line with or lower than inflation. To help keep customer bills down, investors will receive lower returns in 2015-20.

The water industry has invested billions since the 1990s on measures that protect the UK’s bathing waters. The latest results from the European Environment Agency show that the UK is close to the top of the list for bathing waters that comply with the EU standards.

The water industry is ready to take forward the measures in the new Water Act which will bring long-term benefits to customers and the environment.

Baby wipes, cleaning wipes and other non-flushable products can block sewers and cost customers and water and sewerage companies millions of pounds a year in cleaning and repairs.

There is a growing international focus on governance, indicators and benchmarking in the water sector, both globally and in the EU. There appears to be a belief among regulators and water practitioners globally that while there are plenty of measures of outputs, such as environmental indicators, perhaps more can be done to measure how efficiently the services are delivered.

The Water Bill has completed its progress through Parliament and will soon become the Water Act. A government amendment was introduced in the House of Lords to provide incumbent water companies with a mechanism to exit the non-household retail market, subject to the consent of the Secretary of State.

The UK bathing season starts this month and runs until the end of September. For 2014, monitoring data will be assessed using the standards set in the current bathing water directive. This is the last season these standards will be used. From 2015, bathing water quality will be assessed using new, stricter standards.

Water re-use systems can use rainwater, or treated water from washing, reducing per capita consumption by up to half. However, even developers of environmentally friendly housing schemes say few homebuyers want to install water re-use systems.

The Government’s consultation on abstraction licence reform was a useful first step but more work is needed with Defra officials and other key stakeholders to fully understand the impacts of the proposals.

The need for monitoring of aspects of shale gas extraction, such as the integrity of the wells and the treatment of water once it has been used for fracking, will be crucial for effective and safe operations.