Majority of England's rivers and lakes fail new environmental review
Summary
A new assessment shows that only a small number of England’s rivers and lakes are in good ecological health. Pollution from sewage, farming, and chemicals continues to harm water quality, and the government is unlikely to meet its targets to improve these waters by 2027.Key Facts
- Only about 15% of England’s rivers and fewer than 7% of lakes are in good ecological condition.
- No river or lake passed the test for chemical pollution.
- Phosphate pollution from sewage and farm runoff affects around half of the rivers.
- The UK government has allocated £22 billion to improve water company environmental practices by 2030.
- The 2027 goal is to restore 77% of England’s waters to good status but is expected to be missed by a large margin.
- Both the government and the Environment Agency are under investigation for possible rule breaches.
- Pollution comes from sewage, farming (notably poultry farming), pesticides, petrol runoff, and microplastics.
- Ongoing drought worsens water quality by reducing river flow and increasing pollution concentration.
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