Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 16
16
Acknowledged
Significant short-term action needed for water companies to meet environmental targets
Conclusion
Significant action needs to be taken in the short term to meet environmental targets. In 2023 Defra published the Environmental Improvement Plan and set targets for the sector to reduce leakage and demand, and address sewer discharges and phosphorus in treated wastewater. It published the Expanded Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan in September 2023, which set targets for water companies to reduce environmental harm from combined sewer overflows to zero by 2050.44 The EA told us that the Water Framework Directive set statutory obligations to improve the quality of water bodies, which need to be delivered by 2027.45 Over the next five years the activity to meet all of these targets includes over 18,000 actions by water companies, and accounts for £27 billion of the sector’s anticipated £47 billion spend on infrastructure improvements.46
Government Response Summary
The government agrees that significant action is needed to meet environmental targets and highlights existing plans and the EA's role in monitoring and enforcement, without committing to new actions.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The Government agrees that significant action needs to be taken in the short term to meet environmental targets. Defra has published the Environmental Improvement Plan and the Expanded Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, which set ambitious targets for the sector to reduce leakage and demand, and address sewer discharges and phosphorus in treated wastewater. The EA is responsible for monitoring water companies’ performance against these targets, and can take enforcement action against companies that fail to meet them. The Government is committed to working with water companies to help them meet their environmental obligations.