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2007 report card: progress on 10 steps to sustainable water

SUBJECT
GRADE
COMMENT
Waste less water
B
Good work in many areas
  1. Excellent progress on Code for Sustainable Homes
  2. Excellent progress on making Building Regulations more water efficient
  3. Little progress on retrofitting existing housing stock
  4. Limited promotion and awareness
Keep rivers flowing and wetlands wet
C
Progress has been patchy
  1. First steps made to tackle problem abstractions through Periodic Review of Water Prices and abstraction charging system
  2. Little practical progress
Price water fairly
B
Good work in many areas
  1. Good progress on allowing compulsory metering in water-stressed areas
  2. Media reports of Government commitment to full metering by 2015 were welcome
Make polluters pay
E
Urgent action needed
  1. No progress
  2. Series of derisory fines for serious pollution incidents
  3. Reduction in Environment Agency investigation effort
Stop pollutants contaminating our water
D
Must try harder
  1. Long overdue consultation on tackling diffuse agricultural pollution published
  2. Concerns remain over political will to take action
  3. No progress on phasing out sheep dip
Keep sewage out of homes and rivers and off beaches
C
Progress has been patchy
  1. Ministerial commitment to review automatic right of connection to public sewers is welcome progress
  2. Expensive work to tackle sewer flooding, but not enough to fix fundamental problems with much of our urban drainage infrastructure
Support water-friendly farming
D
Must try harder
  1. Future of Catchment Sensitive Farming programme still not secure
  2. Extra pressure on water quality likely from loss of set-aside
  3. Government proposals for Nitrate Vulnerable Zones fall short of 100% designation
Clean up drainage from roads and buildings
D
Must try harder
  1. Defra’s Integrated Urban Drainage pilot projects have started
  2. Consultation on reform promised early next year
  3. No progress on removing barriers to widespread use of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems
Restore rivers from source to sea
E
Urgent action needed
  1. Little, if any, practical progress by Government
  2. Plans for SSSI river restoration on hold due to lack of funding
  3. No clear way forward for action required to meet Water Framework Directive objectives
  4. Most restoration projects carried out by local groups with support from Environment Agency and Natural England
Retain water on floodplains and wetlands
E
Urgent action needed
  1. Little if any progress, despite Government’s ‘Making Space for Water’ commitment to sustainable flood risk management

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