Press statement: What we need from the water commission

With the final report from the Independent Water Commission led by Sir Jon Cunliffe due to be released on Monday 21st July, The Rivers Trust is sharing its key asks from this potentially momentous review.

A new integrated catchment governance framework that works at national, regional and local scales, underpinned by well-resourced Catchment Partnerships, to align planning and funding around solutions that tackle all sources of pollution and restore catchment resilience. 

Appropriately funded, firm but fair regulation and enforcement that is applied consistently across sectors by regulators with clear remits and a greater focus on outcomes.

A unified catchment monitoring and integrated data sharing framework that brings together data from a variety of sources, including citizen science, to build a comprehensive picture of our water environment and target effective improvements for all rivers.

National targets with clear delivery pathways that drive meaningful progress towards reviving our rivers, including retaining the principles of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD).

Chief Executive Mark Lloyd says: “There was a lot to like in the Commission’s interim report, especially points on managing the water system as a whole, the importance of local catchment partnerships and regional bodies made up of all relevant organisations, as in the Catchment Based Approach. Sir Jon has also been speaking very positively about overcoming the regulatory barriers to nature-based solutions, which could be transformative in solving our climate and nature crises, as well as delivering community benefits.

“That being said, we need more from the Commission’s final report to make us really happy, and we mustn’t miss this once-in-a-generation opportunity to reform our water system properly. The need for a nationwide monitoring programme, inclusive of citizen science, was largely missing from the interim report, but better understanding our waterways is fundamental for us to know we are directing the right solutions in the right places. The report, and the government’s response to it, must also look beyond just the water and sewage companies to address other stresses on our water environment. If we are to restore resilient rivers and catchments, that can cope with more weather extremes and help protect communities and businesses as part of a healthy, resilient landscape, we have to include all sectors, not just the water industry.”