Overall water legislation/policies
This section covers cross-cutting legislation and policies which affect multiple water topics. For legislation or policies on specific water topics such as water quality, please see the individual sections.
Water White Paper – Water for Life
Water for Life describes a vision for future water management in which the water sector is resilient, in which water companies are more efficient and customer focused, and in which water is valued as the precious and finite resource it is. And it explains that we all have a part to play in the realisation of this vision.
- The Water Framework Directive (WFD) is designed to improve and integrate the way water bodies are managed throughout Europe. Find out more.
- The White Paper will be a vehicle to drive forward the commitment in the coalition agreement to “examine the conclusions of the Cave and Walker Reviews, and reform the water industry to ensure more efficient use of water and the protection of poorer households”. Find out more.
- The Catchment Based Approach will focus on the management of land and water in a co-ordinated and sustainable way to balance environmental, economic and social demands at a catchment scale. Find out more.
- The Flood and Water Management Act 2010 will help tackle bad debt in the water industry, improve the affordability of water bills for certain groups and individuals, and help ensure continuity of water supplies to the consumer.
Latest news
- 2 February 2012 – The Water Industry (Financial Assistance) Bill was introduced to Parliament
Waste Water National Policy Statement
Consultation into the draft Waste Water National Policy Statement ended on 22 February 2011. Careful consideration of the consultation responses, and the report produced by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee, is currently underway. The draft Waste Water National Policy Statement will be laid before Parliament for approval shortly, along with our response to the EFRA Select Committee report. At the same time we will publish our response to consultation and Impact Assessment into the draft Waste Water NPS on the Defra website.