Official statistics announcement

Water abstraction statistics: England, 2000 to 2019

Abstraction is the removal of water resources, permanently or temporarily, from rivers, lakes, canals, reservoirs or from underground strata. This release and the accompanying datasets provide estimates of licensed and actual abstraction by licence holders for a variety of purposes in England.

• From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
• Published: 19 May 2025
• Last updated: 20 October 2025

• Proposed release: October 2025
• Cancellation date: 20 October 2025 11:14am

Statistics release cancelled

This publication is no longer being updated. The Environment Agency are developing a new publication which will become available on the water hub,(https://engageenvironmentagency.uk.engagementhq.com/hub-page/water-hub) published during 2026.