Our rivers, lakes and seas are in crisis, suffocated by decades of pollution and inaction. The way we treat our waters is no longer something the public, or the environment, is going to tolerate.
The pollution problem
Fidra is joining with 45 NGOs to call for Clean Water Now because the crisis that threatens our wildlife and way of life cannot be solved without cleaning up waters and restoring freshwater and coastal ecosystems. Fixing our water systems is essential for nature recovery, pollution reduction, and people’s health and wellbeing.
Right now, contaminated sewage sludge is applied to farmland, pollution from PFAS pesticides as well as microplastics and toxic chemicals from industry are choking rivers, lakes and seas. Habitats are shrinking, wildlife is declining and communities are paying the price.
UK water bodies contain a complex mixture of microplastic and chemical pollutants including forever chemicals PFAS and chemical flame retardants, with widespread and concerning impacts. Communities across the UK have found plastic pellets in 168 of the UK Sites of Special Scientific Interest as part of Fidra’s Great Nurdle Hunt. PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ which have been found in 96% of surface water samples across England [1]. Last year, our research with University of York found the presence of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a highly mobile and persistent ultrashort-chain PFAS linked to potential harm to aquatic life, in 98% of rivers tested across the UK. Many of these substances are unregulated, and even those that are rarely account for how they interact when combined. Learn more about these pollutants and their sources, including the application of contaminated sewage sludge to farmland, on our Water Webpage.
Rivers such as the Mersey and Wye are still experiencing shockingly high levels of pollution, with incidences such as the post ship-collision chemical and nurdle spill that impacted the Humber Estuary adding to the mix of threats our rivers face.
Now that the truth is impossible to ignore – weak oversight, inaction and delay are no longer an option.
The urgency
2026 is a make-or-break year.
The legal deadline for the Government to meet its water quality targets under the Water Framework Directive Regulations is 2027 – it will fail because of years of inaction. This Government alone cannot be blamed for that failure, but it is responsible for making sure that it does not continue.
The Water Reform Bill is ahead a once-in-a-generation opportunity to finally clean up our rivers, lakes and seas. The Government must not limit ambition to cosmetic reform or focus simply on growth and investment in the water sector – they must remember why water reform is on the agenda in the first place. The environment cannot stand the pollution any longer and the public will not tolerate it.
Public awareness and anger at the treatment of our waters has never been higher. In the run up to the election, 94% of the British public expressed support for action for healthy rivers by 2030, with almost half saying that their voting decision would be influenced by commitments for cleaner waters. The public want Clean Water Now, and no half measures or sticking plasters will do.
The asks
The UK Government must use the Water Reform Bill to deliver Clean Water Now, by:
Fixing the system: Set enforceable clean water targets for government, regulators and industry, with strict pollution limits for regions and catchments covering all polluting sectors.
Stopping the pollution: stop pollution at source with broad bans on harmful chemicals such as Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), set enforceable environmental public interest stewardship requirements for water companies, and tighten agricultural permitting and pollution rules.
Restoring nature: Create open access wildlife corridors along key rivers, require water companies to prioritise nature restoration from source to sea, including effective nature-based solutions, and toughen safeguards against invasive non-native species.
Download the Clean Water Now Report to learn more.
A closer look at how to stop pollution
The Clean Water Now report states:
“The only way to reliably stem the toxic cocktail of pollutants building up in British waters is to ban them from use, but regulators must navigate complex and slow systems and a high burden of data to take dangerous substances off the market. In the meantime, the costs fall on the public, communities and nature. Most wastewater treatment plants were not designed to remove these chemicals and need urgent upgrades to treat chemical contaminants to protect water supplies.
The Government must not shy away from strong regulatory action: banning harmful chemicals and introducing producer responsibility for cleanup, halting consents or permits for intensive livestock, and imposing stricter public interest responsibilities for water companies. This must be backed by financial incentives for farmers who do the most for nature, and structured polluter pays penalties to reduce ongoing harm.”
Solutions to pollution are within our reach and we can prevent pollution by:
- Stopping contamination at source through alignment with the EU on chemical regulation
- Improve monitoring and factor in mixtures to get a true picture of pollution and its impacts to inform regulation, including updating the Water Framework Directive’s priority substances and watchlist in line with the EU
- Protect water from chemical pollution at every stage by managing chemicals across their lifecycle and requiring chemical data transparency and data accessibility throughout product supply chains including waste and recycling
- Phasing out agricultural use of contaminated sewage sludge to prevent contaminants entering water bodies
- Stopping microplastics getting into waterways from artificial pitches and plastic pellets made and used by the plastic industry via regulation, alongside the introduction of extended producer responsibility schemes to help minimise loss and fund water treatment
- Prevent all sources of PFAS pollution from entering the water environment by phasing out all sources of PFAS including pesticides, biocides, pharmaceuticals, and veterinary products
MPs have the power to decide what happens next. Write to yours now via this link.
References
[1] Wildlife and Countryside Link. UK falling behind in the fight against toxic ‘forever chemical’ cocktail in our rivers. https://www.wcl.org.uk/uk-falling-behind-in-fight-against-toxic-forever-chemicals.asp (2023).