Water Quality - Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive
Sewage Treatment in the UK: Implementation of the
EC Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive
Further improvements to come
Progress in the UK in meeting the standards of the Bathing Water Directive from 1992 to 2000 can be seen in the chart. The Government has however, set a target to consistently achieve a minimum of 97% compliance with the Bathing Water Directive's MANDATORY standards in England and Wales by 2005, and to achieve a significant improvement in compliance with GUIDELINE standards, particularly at major holiday resorts. In Scotland, the water authorities are aiming for 100% compliance in bathing water quality, funded by massive investment of £7.5bn over the period 1999 to 2006. In Northern Ireland improvements are being made where possible towards meeting the guideline standards at identified bathing waters.
UK Coastal Zone Percentage Compliance with Bathing Water Directive 76/160
1992 - 2000
Over the last decade, general river quality in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland has either improved or remained high. The chart shows the situation on river quality with 1996 and 2000 compared. This shows that the poor quality categories make up a small proportion of the river lengths classified. Both England and Northern Ireland also show net improvements in river quality over the period, whilst the quality of rivers in Scotland and Wales remain high. This situation is expected to improve even further when improvements arising from additional action required under the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive takes effect.
Changes in chemical river quality for UK countries
Classification in the UK
England, Wales and Northern Ireland GQA classes: A-Very Good; B-Good; C-Fairly Good; D-Fair; E-Poor; F-Bad
*Scotland does not use the same classification system as in the rest of the UK, the key is for presentational purposes only:
For Scotland: A1-Excellent; A2-Good; B-Fair; C-Poor D-Seriously polluted
Classifications in Scotland are not comparable with other UK areas as it combines chemical, biological, nutrient and aesthetic assessments, but is predominantly chemical.
Page published 25 April
2002;
Page last modified
29 September, 2002