Written evidence submitted by the Environment
Agency
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Environment Agency welcomes the Committee's
request to input to its inquiry to consider the need for future
floods and water management legislation. The Environment Agency
is ready to implement Government's decisions on the Flood and
Water Management Act 2010. The Environment Agency supports consideration
of the following issues in future water legislation:
— Improved allocation of water;
— Sustainable balance between supply and
demand options;
— Further improvements to water quality;
— Improving sewerage system management;
and
— A strategic overview for water resources.
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 The Environment Agency is the leading
public body for protecting and improving the environment in England
and Wales. We provide independent technical advice, regulate,
and deliver a number of services to ensure the sustainable use
of natural resources, including water quality and water resources.
We have a strategic overview of all forms of flooding and manage
the risk of flooding from main rivers and the sea.
1.2 Water is under significant and increasing
pressure. There are already challenges around providing secure
supplies and many waters are affected by diffuse pollution. With
a changing climate and a growing population, we are likely to
see more catchments reaching sustainable limits.
1.3 This will put at risk the balance of
water needs between people, the economy and the environment. Long
term planning, flexible systems for water management and new approaches
may be needed as a response.
2.0 IMPLEMENTATION
OF THE
FLOOD AND
WATER MANAGEMENT
ACT 2010
2.1 The Environment Agency recognises the
Flood and Water Management Act 2010 as a positive step towards
achieving Sir Michael Pitt's vision for all sources of flooding
to be managed effectively. The Act provides clarity on the roles
of the Environment Agency, Local Authorities, Internal Drainage
Boards and others in managing flooding, and for the first time
allocates responsibility for the management of surface water which
was a major source of flooding in 2007. We welcome the measures
in the Act to manage surface water flooding, including sustainable
urban drainage systems (SuDS) which provide benefits to water
amenity and the environment as well as flood risk.
2.2 The Environment Agency will work with
Defra to develop a National Flood and Coastal Risk Management
Strategy for England which reflects Government policy. The draft
strategy will be subject to scrutiny by Parliament and approved
by the Secretary of State. The Strategy, supported by guidance,
will help us deliver our strategic overview for all sources of
flooding by setting the direction for flood and coastal risk management
in England, and providing clarity on how the rest of the Act should
be delivered at a local and national scale. In Wales, the Environment
Agency has an enhanced oversight role for all sources of flooding
and coastal erosion risk management. We will co-ordinate and monitor
the implementation of Welsh Assembly Government's National Flood
and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for Wales.
2.3 The importance of Local Authorities
in delivering local flood risk management must not be underestimated.
Local Authorities will clearly have a very important role in local
flood risk management. We support the work by government to build
technical capacity within Local Authorities, including their participation
in the Foundation Degree course at the University of the West
of England.
2.4 We welcome Government's indicative timetable
for commencement of the Act and look forward to assisting Government
in the delivery of these provisions.
3.0 FUTURE FLOOD
LEGISLATION
3.1 Government was unable to legislate on
all the flood provisions consulted on in the draft Bill. Whilst
the Environment Agency does not view the issues not included in
the final Act as essential to delivering integrated flood risk
management, many would be beneficial so we would support Government
bringing forward these provisions in legislation as soon as possible.
4.0 FUTURE WATER
LEGISLATION
4.1 Improved allocation of water
Both the Cave and Walker Reviews highlighted
that the current abstraction charging regime may not provide a
sufficiently strong price signal to reflect water stress and the
true value of the water environment. A revised approach could
provide opportunities to reveal the value of water, and would
complement many of the recommendations made in the Reviews. The
use of market forces, particularly a more liberal trading regime
(but not a free market), could be used to improve access to water
today, and could more importantly provide a key tool for climate
change adaptation.
4.2 Further improvements to water quality
As pressures grow, the need to find adequate
measures to safeguard the quality and quantity of water resources
will become more important. We are working with Defra to gather
the evidence to confirm the mains sources of pollution and now
identify gaps in measures and mechanism that need to be addressed.
As point source impacts have been reduced diffuse sources become
more important. They are by their very nature more difficult to
assess and reduce than point sources. Options ranging from incentives
(such as agri-environment schemes) to water protection zones or
general binding rules, could help to secure improvements. There
may also be some benefit in reviewing authorisation regimes (eg
REACH, Plant Protection Products Directive and the Biocidal Products
Directive) for pesticides, biocides and other chemicals to ensure
that environmental risk is considered sufficiently in the authorisation
process. Initiatives based on local partnerships, such as recent
work we and Defra have undertaken on bathing waters, will be increasingly
important to reduce diffuse pollution of water.
4.3 Improving sewerage system management
Surface water drainage, sewerage systems and
combined sewer overflows can pose significant risks to water quality
and flooding, particularly if their performance deteriorates.
There is a complex split of responsibilities between local authorities
and sewerage undertakers for resolving misconnections of private
sewage discharges into surface water sewers, and of surface water
drains into separate foul sewers. Addressing this would help to
deliver more integrated management of sewerage systems, alongside
the planned transfer of private sewers. We are working with Defra,
the water industry and central and local government to improve
knowledge and awareness regarding: the interface of sewerage systems
and Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) for new developments and
the re-development of existing areas, and possible future retrofit;
current sewerage system and asset performance; effects of changes
in climate and demand; and collaborative working on surface water
management.
4.4 A strategic overview for water resources
Managing and planning the future supply/demand
balance across all sectors of use could be improved. We have details
for public water supply, but there is less information for other
key sectors, including energy, agriculture, navigation, industry
and commerce. We believe a voluntary approach could be adapted.
We are working with Government to support those sectors and improve
planning in this area.
October 2010
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