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Water Framework Directive
We’ve published the Water Framework Directive report to set out how environmental legislation can be implemented in a way that delivers significant environmental improvements whilst keeping water bills affordable.
The main challenge raised by the Water Framework Directive in the UK is how to make significant environmental improvements whilst keeping customers' water bills affordable.
The report sets out our recommendations for how the Water Framework Directive should be implemented. The three key recommendations are:
- Ministers should set clear priorities for further investment, prioritising the improvement of poorer rivers. This will make the most practical difference for the funds available.
- Ministers should ensure the affordability of further improvements by setting an appropriate pace and scale for investment.
- Water companies should develop innovative, better value solutions for making improvements to the health of our rivers, in a process supported by regulators.
According to the Environment Agency, our rivers are now generally in better health than at any time since the Industrial Revolution. This is in large part due to the water companies’ investments over the last 20 years in environmental improvements. We can do more in the future, but we need to do it in a way that is affordable to all our customers.
This document is the fourth in the Changing Course series about how to shape a better, more sustainable water industry that delivers what customers want, including excellent value for money.