River basin planning: progress report
Published 22 October 2021
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2021
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1. Introduction
This document summarises what has happened and what has been achieved since the 2015 river basin management plans were published.
It includes an overview of the changes in the state of the water environment, a summary of progress towards achieving the environmental objectives in the 2015 plans, a summary of the measures implemented since 2015, and identifies some of the main changes in the evidence used in river basin planning.
2. Changes in the state of the water environment since 2015
2.1 Surface water ecological status or potential
The most recent assessment of water body status was made in 2019. The proportion of surface waters at good ecological status or potential in England in 2019 (16%) was similar to that in 2015 (17%).
Ecological status: number of water bodies
| Year | Bad | Poor | Moderate | Good | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 135 | 820 | 2,943 | 774 | 7 |
| 2019 | 137 | 793 | 2,988 | 756 | 4 |
Ecological status: percentage of total water bodies
| Year | Bad | Poor | Moderate | Good | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 3% | 17% | 63% | 17% | less than 1% |
| 2019 | 3% | 17% | 63% | 16% | less than 1% |
The ecological status of a water body is derived from the status of individual tests or quality elements. At a national level there has been no significant change in the status of these quality elements. For example, in 2019 the majority of sampled rivers are still at good or high status for invertebrates, ammonia and dissolved oxygen, but under half are at good or high status for fish, macrophytes or phosphate.
Proportion of sampled rivers at good or high status for selected elements
| Year | Invertebrates | Fish | Macrophytes | Ammonia | Dissolved oxygen | Phosphate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 73% | 42% | 35% | 92% | 83% | 45% |
| 2019 | 76% | 41% | 35% | 92% | 82% | 45% |
Although the overall results have shown little change, there is some movement between status classes for individual water bodies. In England, 151 water bodies improved from moderate or worse ecological status in 2015, to good or better ecological status in 2019. In contrast, 171 water bodies dropped from good or better ecological status in 2015, to moderate or worse ecological status in 2019.
2.2 Surface water chemical status
There has been little underlying change in status for most substances assessed as part of chemical status for surface waters. However, the overall picture presented for chemical status has changed considerably due to new substances and changes to techniques and methods. These are summarised in the ‘changes in evidence’ section in this document.
2.3 Groundwater status
Groundwater classification results are based on the quantity, quality and retention of water in aquifers. Each of the 271 groundwater bodies in England is classified for quantitative and chemical status.
There has been a net increase in the number of groundwater bodies meeting good quantitative status, with 73% at good in 2019 compared to 69% in 2015.
There has been a net decrease in the number of groundwater bodies meeting good chemical status, with 45% at good in 2019 compared to 53% in 2015.
2.4 Reasons for changes in water body status
The reasons for changes in status are specific to each water body. They fall into 2 categories.
-
An uplift in status where improvements or additional protection actions have been put in place.
-
A reduction in status where the pressures on the environment have increased.
There may also be a small number of instances where the status is recorded as having changed due statistical chance rather than a real, sustained change in the environment.
Changes in the status of individual water bodies since 2015 are displayed in the river basin management plan progress maps on the draft plan mapping system.
3. Compliance with the environmental objectives in the 2015 plan
3.1 Preventing deterioration
In England, 110 surface waters (2.4% of surface water bodies) deteriorated by at least 1 ecological status class (at greater than or equal to 75% confidence) between 2015 and 2019.
3.2 Water body status objectives
3.2.1 Surface water ecological status
Summary of current ecological status objectives for surface waters in England, set in the 2015 river basin management plans
| Date | Moderate or worse | Good or better |
|---|---|---|
| By 2015 | 967 | 813 |
| By 2021 | 32 | 166 |
| By 2027 or beyond | 174 | 2,527 |
Twenty of the 166 surface water bodies set an objective of achieving good ecological status by 2021 had met this objective by 2019. A further 34 are expected to meet this objective by 2021.
One hundred and ten water bodies set an objective of achieving good ecological status by 2027 had met this objective by 2019.
The reasons why some water bodies failed to meet their status objective by 2021 include:
- more recovery time needed after measures were implemented
- additional measures are required, over and above those identified in the 2015 plans
- expected measures were not implemented by 2021
- changes to evidence and understanding have led to a new or revised less stringent objective being proposed
3.2.2. Groundwater status
Sixteen groundwater bodies in England were set an objective of achieving good quantitative status by 2021 and 9 of them achieved this.
Nine groundwater bodies in England were set an objective of achieving good chemical status by 2021 and 3 of them achieved this.
3.3 Kilometres enhanced and protected
Achieving ecological status objectives and outcomes for protected areas, species and habitats, is the ultimate aim of river basin planning. However, the lag time between actions being taken and responses in the environment being detected via classification results means that the results have not always reflected the work being undertaken to enhance the water environment.
Kilometres enhanced is a simple and useful indicator of the extent of progress in enhancing and protecting the water environment. It was established by the Environment Agency in 2016 as a new approach to reporting work undertaken to enhance the water environment. It was expanded in 2018 to include work to prevent or reverse deterioration. It captures work done to support the objectives for water body status and protected areas and species.
Kilometres enhanced captures contributions from a range of people and organisations who play their part in resolving complex environmental problems and preventing or reversing worsening conditions.
It covers actions in all categories of water body. Enhancements in lakes, coastal and estuarine waters and groundwater are reported as linear kilometres to allow them to be incorporated into the overall ‘kilometres enhanced and kilometres protected’ measure.
In England between January 2016 and March 2021, 11,327km were enhanced and between April 2018 and March 2021, 1,440km have been protected.
| River basin district | Km enhanced | Km protected |
|---|---|---|
| Anglian | 1,526 | 355 |
| Humber | 2,657 | 264 |
| North West | 1,208 | 82 |
| Northumbria | 622 | 13 |
| Severn | 1,356 | 8 |
| South East | 618 | 1 |
| South West | 1,687 | 660 |
| Thames | 1,212 | 40 |
4. Measures implemented since 2015
The 2015 river basin management plans contained summary programmes of measures. Whilst it has not been possible to track progress with all of those measures, many of them have been recorded as part of kilometres enhanced reporting, as summarised in this table.
A total of 6,884 actions contributed to kilometres enhanced across England between January 2016 and March 2021.
| River basin district | Number of actions |
|---|---|
| Anglian | 999 |
| Humber | 1,266 |
| North West | 774 |
| Northumbria | 230 |
| Severn | 960 |
| South East | 430 |
| South West | 1,221 |
| Thames | 740 |
Actions include those delivered through Environment Agency programmes, such as the environment programme and flood and coastal risk management programme, and by catchment partnerships. Examples of partners include the Forestry Commission, Natural England, water companies, the Coal Authority, businesses, communities, and many environmental charitable trusts.
Actions were also undertaken through countryside stewardship to reduce pollution from agricultural working practices. Implementation of the Reduction and Prevention of Agricultural Diffuse Pollution (England) Regulations 2018 started in this period.
Across England, the majority of investment came from the Water Industry National Environment Programme and the Environment Agency’s environment programme, where enhancements directly improve parts of the water environment which aren’t meeting required standards and make a greater contribution to achieving good status. Examples of these include upgrades to waste water treatment works, improvements to the sewerage network, river and floodplain restoration projects, tree planting and fencing along rivers, as well as projects to slow and store run-off. The water industry national environment programme also includes measures to prevent deterioration occurring, for example from urban growth, thereby protecting the environment and the benefits already gained.
Schemes were implemented to treat water discharging from abandoned coal and metal mines, and limit mobilisation of metals from contaminated mine wastes.
The Highways England mitigated 15 high risk outfalls on the strategic road network and 83 biodiversity schemes were delivered through the Environment Designated Fund.
Since January 2016, the Environment Agency’s Restoring Sustainable Abstraction Programme has changed 71 abstraction licences, resulting in 10 billion litres of water a year being returned to the environment. The programme also removed the risk of licence holders abstracting 66 billion litres of water through the removal of headroom or unused quantities from abstraction licences.
The Environment Agency also reviewed 2025 time limited abstraction licences and where appropriate, changed them to make them more sustainable. In addition, 725 abstraction licences have been revoked that had not been used for over four years; all contributing to reducing the impact abstraction has on the environment.
As part of the drive to ensure sustainable water supplies, the Environment Agency is working with a range of abstractors to bring long standing abstractions that were previously exempt from regulation into a permitting regime. These are called New Authorisations. The Environment Agency received 1,622 New Authorisations applications by 30 June 2020. By 31 March 2021, the Environment Agency had issued 334 new abstraction licences with the remaining applications on track to be determined by the end of December 2022.
Activities delivered under countryside stewardship also made a significant contribution, for example, by farmers changing rural land management practices to reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphate entering water bodies. Individual regulatory projects focussed on farm compliance in protected areas have successfully demonstrated the benefits of this approach, which will be taken forward in future years.
Some of the greatest lengths of enhancements came from the removal of barriers in rivers, including the installation of eel and fish passes. These interventions can help improve fish populations for many kilometres by allowing fish and eel to migrate upstream.
Actions contributing to kilometres protected include activity such as farm visits, correcting drainage misconnections (including water company programmes), and changes made to cover crops that help to reduce sediment input and diffuse pollution from nutrients.
5. Changes in evidence since 2015
5.1 Climate change
The UK is starting to experience more frequent extreme weather, rising sea levels and sustained increases in temperature. Evidence suggests that freshwater species are being impacted by climate change. Hot dry summers are a particular problem for salmonids, where long-term declines are likely to be related to climate change. In certain key salmonid rivers, poor recruitment has been observed during some recent hot, dry summers. This may result in water bodies failing to meet ecological objectives.
There is evidence of shifts in macroinvertebrate community structure related to climate change, however more evidence is required to demonstrate causality and mechanisms. High temperatures can cause algal blooms and weed choking during summer months. Warmer winters can also increase risks from some invasive species such as floating pennywort.
Global temperature increases have the potential to impact the viability and distribution of species. For terrestrial species there is evidence of northerly migrations to overcome temperature increases. Truly aquatic species may be unable to move between catchments, resulting in more species being threatened with either local or national extinction.
You can find more information in ‘The climate emergency: challenges for the water environment’ document.
5.2 Assessing chemical status
Since the 2015 plans were published there have been a number of changes in the assessment of chemical status of surface water bodies. These include new substances, new standards, and improved analytical techniques and methods. Biota sampling is now used to assess more persistent, toxic and potentially bioaccumulative chemicals and give a more accurate reflection of these chemicals in the environment. Whilst these changes have led to a significant change in the headline figures for chemical status, there is little underlying change in chemical status for other chemicals. These changes are predominantly due to 3 groups of substances: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, mercury and perfluorooctane-sulfonate. More details are provided in the ‘River basin planning process overview’ document.
5.3 Catchment economic appraisals
Catchment economic appraisals are undertaken to assess the benefits, cost and any negative impacts of implementing measures to improve the water environment. The results of the economic appraisals help ensure that wider benefits and the value of the water environment are taken into account in decision making. The results are used to indicate where achieving good status would be disproportionately expensive.
The catchment economic appraisals undertaken in preparing the 2015 river basin management plans were subject to a proportionate review as part of the development of the water industry national environment programme for the 2019 water industry price review. One hundred and seventy out of 335 catchment economic appraisals were reviewed. The results have been reflected in the objectives proposed in the draft updates to the plans.
Water industry funded measures form the majority of expected investment in realising the environmental objectives. Therefore, the review and update of economic appraisals, completed to support the water industry price review in 2019, has optimised water body status objectives sufficiently for the 2021 update to the plans.
5.4 Waste water treatment and phosphorus
The amount of phosphorus that can be removed from sewage during treatment at waste water treatment works is limited by the available technology. This ‘technically achievable limit’ determines whether it is possible to reduce the phosphorus levels low enough to meet the standard for good status in the water body receiving the discharge from the treatment works. When the 2015 river basin management plans were published, the technically achievable limit for phosphorus was 0.5mg/l total phosphorus. In some locations this meant phosphorus levels remained too high to meet good status and so less stringent objectives were set for those water bodies.
Trials undertaken by the water industry since 2015 have shown that more phosphorus can be removed from sewage during treatment as a result of improvements in technology. Therefore, the technically achievable limit has been lowered to 0.25mg/l. This limit was used in planning for the 2019 water industry price review and as a planning assumption in reviewing water body status objectives for the updated river basin management plans. As a result, some less stringent objectives for phosphate set in the 2015 plans are being revised to good status objectives in the draft updated plans.
5.5 Changes to water quality standards
There have been some minor changes to some water quality standards used to determine status class for relevant elements. These changes will be published in an update to the existing Water Framework Directive (Standards and Classification) Directions (England and Wales) 2015, which will be published on legislation.gov.uk in autumn 2021.
6. Changes to protected areas and water bodies since 2015
6.1 Drinking water protected areas
Water bodies are identified as drinking water protected areas where they meet the criteria set out in the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2017 (WFD Regulations).
The Environment Agency has reviewed the register of surface water drinking water protected areas for the updated plans to ensure the correct water bodies are identified.
There are 36 water bodies in England newly identified as surface water drinking water protected areas containing an abstraction that meets the criteria of the WFD Regulations.
There are 59 water bodies in England that have been removed as drinking water protected areas as they no longer meet the criteria set out in the WFD Regulations.
View a detailed list of the changes.
6.2 Water bodies
There have been some minor changes in the water body network to correct errors:
- where a water body is named incorrectly or associated with the wrong operational catchment
- an improvement in the definition of the coastal edge of water bodies
These changes do not substantially alter the number or characteristics of the reported water bodies and have already been made.
A small number of more significant changes to water bodies are being proposed for the next cycle. These changes include splitting some water bodies and merging others. These changes have not yet been made to the water body network and so the classification and status objectives presented in the draft plans do not take account of these changes.
View a list of the proposed changes. These changes to water bodies, and their associated classification and objectives, will be included in the final updated plans.
6.3 Artificial and heavily modified water bodies
There have been a small number of changes to the artificial and heavily modified water body designations. These are in response to a changing environment, information provided by stakeholders or where errors have been identified in the current designations. Find more information on the heavily modified water body designations review.
7. Changes to legislative, policy and economic landscapes since 2015
The UK left the European Union (EU) on 31 December 2020. The requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive, which were transposed into domestic law, were retained as domestic law at the end of the transition period. This draft plan has been produced under the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2017 and Ministerial Guidance on river basin planning 2021.
Leaving the EU has led to policy and legislative changes that will impact on the environment, notably new Environment and Agricultural Bills. Many of these new policies are still in development, and while these new measures have been designed with environmental improvement as a key objective, it is not yet possible to quantify the exact impact they will have during implementation of the updated plans.
COVID-19 affected implementation of the current plans during 2020 and 2021, including delaying the delivery of some measures due to practical constraints related to lockdowns and safe ways of working.
Tackling the Covid-19 pandemic has also had a significant impact on the UK’s economy. The longer term effects of the economy on delivery of river basin management plans will become clearer during the next cycle.