In a blog last month, we discussed essential amendments to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill to support nature’s recovery. In this blog by Pooja Kishinani (RSPB Campaigner, England) highlights how an amendment to address nutrient pollution through nature-based solutions can deliver multiple benefits for nature and people.
Nutrient pollution is an urgent problem for the UK’s freshwater habitats and rivers. Runoff and wastewater from new development and agricultural pollution leaks damaging levels of nitrates and phosphorus into our rivers, lakes, streams and seas. As a result, freshwater habitats and rivers in the UK have consistently failed tests of good ecological condition.
Nutrient neutrality is a measure used to ensure that any increase in nutrient pollution, especially the discharge of nitrates and phosphorous, caused by new development is offset.
Clause 153 puts a duty on water companies to upgrade sewage disposal works to meet new nutrient pollution standards in polluted freshwater habitats. It specifies that upgrades should only take place at sewage disposal works discharging treated effluent into polluted freshwater habitats.
While this is a welcome start to address nutrient pollution, such a site-specific approach, focusing solely on wastewater treatment, is a missed opportunity for an environmentally effective alternative – restoring habitats across the entire catchment of a freshwater habitat.
Collaborations between water companies and nature groups have shown that habitat restoration across catchments, referred to as catchment-based approaches and nature-based solutions, can be just as effective at reducing nutrient pollution as on-site sewage disposal work upgrades, whilst also delivering environmental benefits at a lower cost. These catchment-based approaches and nature-based solutions have been previously used as mitigation approaches to achieve nutrient neutrality.
Some of these benefits include:
Baroness Willis of Summertown, Baroness Parminter and Baroness Jones of Whitchurch have tabled amendment 390 that would enable water companies to meet new nutrient pollution standards through nature-based solutions deployed across catchments, rather than just through on-site sewage upgrades works, delivering additional nature and climate benefits.
Plans for meeting the new standards, through catchment-based approaches and nature-based solutions where possible, would be set out in advance in Compliance and Investment Plans, to be monitored by OFWAT.
This change to allow nutrient pollution to be addressed by measures wider than wastewater treatment at sewage disposal works will deliver additional nature and climate benefits.
The amendment to enable this is supported not just by nature eNGOs, including the Wildlife Trusts and Wildlife & Countryside Link, but also by water management professionals, including the Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management and by Water UK, representing water companies. We hope that Peers will support this amendment in upcoming Parliamentary debates.