Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 3
3
Not Addressed
Paragraph: 40
Poor monitoring arrangements mean that river users cannot currently make informed decisions about when it...
Conclusion
Poor monitoring arrangements mean that river users cannot currently make informed decisions about when it is safe or not to use rivers. The prevalence of plastic pollution, the presence of persistent chemicals and spread of antimicrobial resistant pathogens in rivers in England are all issues of grave concern. Not a single river in England has received a clean bill of health for chemical contamination.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government acknowledges the need for urgent action and highlights existing plans and efforts related to salmon populations and general water quality, but does not specifically address the committee's concerns about poor monitoring arrangements for public safety or the prevalence of specific pollutants for river users.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
40
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government · verbatim extract
Not Addressed
The Government agrees it is important bathers have access to timely information on water quality. Under the Bathing Water Regulations 2013, designated bathing waters are required to have signage, which is the responsibility of the local authority, and it is mandatory for that signage to display water quality information. In addition, the Environment Agency’s Pollution Risk Forecasting service makes daily pollution risk forecasts for a number of bathing waters where water quality may be temporarily reduced due to factors such as heavy rainfall, wind or the tide. This is currently available at over 170 waters. Government will also consider what further steps we can take in the future to improve the timeliness and usefulness of information that the public are given about water quality in order to make informed choices before they enter the water. We will make use of learning from existing trials such as using sensor technology to indicate water quality, and other apps and websites which give more timely information.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗