The Blue Pantry in Wellington, an eco-friendly grocery shop that promotes a waste-free approach was the ideal place for the regional launch of the Government’s Environmental Improvement plan.
The plan sets out the environmental targets that will drive the action required to restore nature, reduce air pollution, clean up our water and reduce waste, setting us on a sustainable footing for the future. Our new schemes for farmers, new recycling action, and a significant package of water measures will deliver this.
Much misinformation has been spread regarding sewage in water and yet this Government is doing more than any government to clean up our waters and no one voted for sewage to go into rivers, despite spurious claims, quite the contrary.
Firstly, the original Victorian storm sewage overflows, designed for emergency use during extremes of rain to prevent sewage backing up in our toilets have been used far too frequently by water companies despite permits to limit their use.
I have been clear that raw sewage entering our waterways, causing pollution is unacceptable. It is because of monitoring put in place by this government and an intensive Environment Agency and OFWAT investigation this has come to light and action is being taken.
Whilst there is no quick fix, Government has put in place a fully costed and deliverable plan to tackle this. We are the first government to introduce comprehensive storm overflow monitoring with the data being published and by the end of this year all overflows will be covered.
Through the Government’s Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan launched last August 2022 water companies are required to deliver the largest infrastructure programme in water company history - £56 billion capital investment over 25 years.
It includes an initial focus on improving all storm overflows discharging into or near designated bathing waters; and 75% of those near high-priority nature sites by 2035 with all other overflows only to be used for their original purpose by 2050. In tandem we have seen record levels of fines for water companies, further enforcement underway and a commitment to raise fines.
The regulator OFWAT, has also been directed by Government to ensure water companies prioritise environmental outcomes, and demonstrate their salary and dividend pay-outs are linked to environmental progress. Agriculture too is playing its part with a raft of incentives to drive reductions in nitrate, phosphate and sediment run off into our rivers and grants for slurry storage.
Bathing waters are a good news story with 92.8% classified as 'good' or 'excellent' marking a steady improvement from 2015. All this action is game changing in cleaning up our precious water.
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