The plans are available to view on the GOV.UK website.
England and Wales are divided into 10 river basin districts with each district having its own distinct plan. The EA are responsible for all districts which fall within England alone.
The River Dee district, which includes some land in England, is the responsibility of Natural Resources Wales (NRW). The proposed River Dee summary is available on the NRW website.
The Solway Tweed district, which includes some land in England, is jointly managed by the EA and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. The Solway plan is available via the GOV.UK website.
The plans are a statutory requirement of the European WFD legislation. They set out the objectives for rivers, lakes, groundwater, estuaries and coastal waters and summarise the actions needed to achieve WFD compliance.
The plans should be consulted for information about the risks facing the water environment and the responsibilities and expectations the EA have of the sectors which influence this environment.
The NFU responded to the EA consultation on the plans in early 2015 and raised the following key concerns;
- The economic analysis behind the plans does not take account of the potentially significant cost burden of WFD measures on agriculture and the inability to pass costs on to fund higher environmental standards which cannot be borne by farmers.
- The plans clearly identify rural diffuse pollution as a problem. However, the plans fail to make clear is that diffuse pollution from agriculture cannot be solved through a standardised approach such as those taken by industries responsible for point source pollution.
The NFU believes that these key points have not been fully addressed by the proposed updated plans and we will continue to work with the EA and other stakeholders to ensure these issues are considered fully in the implementation of the plans.