Government commits to September response to OEP report which found rivers ‘off track’ on WFD targets

The Government has sent a holding response to the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP), following the latter’s May report A review of implementation of the Water Framework Directive Regulations and River Basin Management Planning in England, which found the Government and Environment Agency are significantly off track on environmental objectives for rivers and other water bodies, and have not complied with the requirements of the relevant regulations in a number of areas.

Under the Environment Act, a government response was required within three months. That falls in Parliament’s summer recess, and Defra explained an earlier response was not possible because of the general election hiatus. The Government asked the House to except a holding response until a full response can be submitted once Parliament returns in September. It said it was “continuing to consider the conclusions and recommendations in the report, which will be part of the Government’s considerations for reform on water in the coming weeks and months”.

The OEP accepted the circumstances and welcomed the Government’s intention to submit a full response in September. Its May report examined whether the Government’s plans (via RBMPs) to improve England’s waterways are likely to achieve the WFD target to have 77% in Good Ecological Status or Potential by 2027. It found they are “not on track” and in fact: “The OEP’s worst case assessment would see just 21% of surface waters in Good Ecological state by 2027, representing only a 5% improvement on the current situation.” 

Among the "serious barriers” identified were insufficient investment; improvement plans being too generic and not specific to locations; lack of certainty, pace and clear deadlines to implement measures; and inadequate governance.

The watchdog also identified a number of areas where the Government and the EA may not have complied with the requirements of the regulations. "These include: the setting of Environmental Objectives for water bodies with clear ‘low confidence’; the lack of specific information showing when and how objectives for individual water bodies will be met; the justification of approved ‘exemptions’ from the objectives in the regulations; and issues of public participation and consultation.”