Lisa Beechey - 13-Aug-2007
- Have a say on the issues impacting our
water environment - Farmers, conservation
groups and industry are being invited to
have a say about the best ways to tackle
significant water management issues, such
as diffuse pollution and river flows and
abstraction, in an effort to further protect
and improve rivers, lakes and groundwater.
River Basin Planning: Summary of significant
water management issues is the second step
in the process of developing new and better
ways in which the Environment Agency and
others will work towards achieving the ecological
standards defined in the European Water
Framework Directive by 2015.
Each of the River Basin Districts across
England and Wales will have a management
plan covering the land and associated rivers,
lakes, groundwater estuaries and coastal
waters within the basin. The consultation
covers 10 River Basin Districts - Anglian,
Dee, Humber, Northumbria, North West, Severn,
South East, South West, Thames and Western
Wales.
"Over the next two years we will work
together with different sectors - from industry
to farming representatives and conservation
groups - to determine how best to manage
water within our river basins," Water
Framework Directive Programme Executive
Martin Booth said.
"There has been very good progress
in recent years in improving the health
of our water environment. But if pressures
such as pollution and flow problems are
not managed properly in the future, there
is a risk that many rivers, lakes and groundwater
sites will not meet the environment standards
we need to see.
"The Water Framework Directive allows
us to think about our water environment
as a whole - whereas in the past, we’ve
often worked on separate plans for addressing
different environmental issues. With river
basin planning, we now have the opportunity
to improve, protect and manage our water
environment in a more integrated way.
"We have set out what we believe are
the most significant water management issues
facing each River Basin District. These
issues may affect your sector, your environmental
interests or your business, and your comments
will help us prioritise work and identify
where environmental improvements are needed,"
Martin Booth said.
The Environment Agency is using electronic
consultations, where people can view other
submissions before contributing their own
comments online. The consultation and responses
can be viewed on the Environment Agency
website at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/wfd
The consultation Summary of significant
water management issues closes on 24 January
2008.
Earlier this year, the first consultative
step in the River Basin Planning process,
titled Working Together, helped people to
understand how river basin planning could
work in their River Basin District and how
and when people could get involved.
