Water Working Group

Chair: Robert Cunningham, RSPB
Vice Chair: Carrie Hume, WWT
Secretary: Kirsten Knap

The Water Working Group seeks to restore the ecology of the UK’s rivers, lakes and wetlands by working to ensure the delivery of the objectives of the Water Framework Directive. Through the work of the Blueprint for Water coalition, the group advocates 10 steps to sustainable water.

QUARTERLY UPDATE: April to June 2010

The Flood and Water Management Bill received Royal Assent in April; Link was pleased that following much campaigning by a number of Link members, Clause 38 was retained in the new Act, enabling the Environment Agency to undertake environmental works even where there is no flood risk benefit.

The Act also includes a new emphasis on Local Authorities as leads for Local Flood Risk, gives new Sustainable Development Duty on all Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Authorities and introduces a clear legal justification for water industry social tariffs e.g. those that protect vulnerable customers. Link was pleased with what remained in the Act, to both broaden the approach taken to tackling flood risk and to continue creating habitats.

In June Link attended the CIWEM hydropower conference, at which a number of presentations were given, including one by Blueprint for Water partner, the Angling Trust. Outcomes from the conference will be submitted to the Environment Agency’s consultation on hydropower. The Blueprint coalition is responding to this consultation, suggesting that ‘run of river’ hydropower can play a small part in contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, so long as there are only minimal adverse effects to aquatic systems.