Water strategy - vision
Water is essential for life. It is vital for our health and wellbeing, and for agriculture, fisheries, industry and transportation. Healthy water resources are necessary for a high-quality natural environment. Water provides us with countless benefits as we swim in it, sail on it, water our gardens and take pleasure in the plants and animals which depend on it. Healthy water environments, such as wetlands and floodplains, also provide natural water storage and flood protection.
The drought in South East England in 2004-06, and the floods of 2007 brought into focus the pressures we know climate change will bring. Future Water, our water strategy for England, is our response.
Our vision for water policy and management is one where, by 2030 at the latest, we have:
- improved the quality of our water environment and the ecology which it supports, and continued to provide high levels of drinking water quality from our taps
- sustainably managed risks from flooding and coastal erosion, with greater understanding and more effective management of surface water
- ensured a sustainable use of water resources, and implemented fair, affordable and cost-reflective water charges
- cut greenhouse gas emissions
- embedded continuous adaptation to climate change and other pressures across the water industry and water users
Page last modified
7 February 2008;
Page published 28 February 2007