Special Measures Act requires pollution plans and nature-based reporting

The Water Special Measures Act requirement for water companies to publish and report on Pollution Incident Reduction Plans (PIRPs) came into force last week.

The first plans must be published by 1 April 2026, and then progress reported on and plans refreshed annually by 1 April each year – to boost transparency and accountability.

A separate part of the Act which requires companies to specifically explain if and how they are using nature-based solutions within their Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans also came into force. This will also increase transparency around decision-making processes – although these are typically steered by environmental regulation requirements anyway.