River Water Quality in England & Wales Improves for 18th Consecutive Year

Data released by the Environment Agency shows that the quality of water in rivers in England and Wales continues to improve. Figures from the Environment Agency’s annual General Quality Assessment (GQA) show that 76 percent of English rivers and 95 percent of those in Wales achieved ‘very good’ or ‘good’ status in terms of chemical water quality in 2007, up from 55 and 86 percent respectively in 1990.

The biological quality of rivers also continued to improve, with 72 percent of rivers in England and 87 percent of those in Wales achieving ‘very good’ or ‘good’ status last year, up from 55 and 79 percent respectively in 1990.

The Environment Agency is working hard to keep improving water quality. For example, in Bassenthwaite Lake in the Lake District, the Environment Agency, along with other organizations, has significantly helped to reduce algal blooms by working with farmers to reduce fertilizer use and has promoted native habitats to help prevent soil erosion.

Improvements in water quality have also been due to the substantial investment made by water companies in addition to work carried out by the Environment Agency and others. Under the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), water quality assessments are being published using a new, tougher methodology for the first time this year. In addition to rivers, the WFD also applies to lakes, estuaries, coastal waters and groundwater, not previously included in GQA results.

The new assessments focus on the ecological health of waters. Up to 37 measures of water quality, such as the health of river insects and plants, are scrutinized, and the grading of each water body is set by the measure which scores the lowest result. Under this new, more stringent, system, 19 percent of water bodies are classed as ‘good’ or ‘high’, 49 percent ‘moderate’, 21 percent ‘poor’ and 7 percent ‘bad’. However, over half of water bodies did not meet ‘good’ status by missing only one indicator. This means that by taking action to improve a single measure, many more waters will achieve ‘good’ status.

Paul Leinster, the Environment Agency’s acting chief executive, said: 'Water quality in England and Wales has improved dramatically over the last 20 years. The Water Framework Directive gives us new ways of measuring the health and quality of water and improving our understanding of the water environment as well as the health of associated animals and plants."

Source: Environment News Service