The Environment Agency’s approach to tackling diffuse water pollution, such as run-off from agricultural land and roads, has not, to date, proved value for money, according to a report published by public spending watchdog the National Audit Office, who have a staff of 900 and independently assess the accounts and worth of Government spent taxpayers' money.

The auditors conclude that the annual expenditure of £8 million has, to date, had little impact. Looking forward, they cite the development of River Basin Management Plans as now offering an opportunity to target work by the Agency and others to improve water quality and tackle this complex problem.

Water pollution, such as from sewage and industrial effluent, is normally easy to monitor as it generally arises from a single source. Diffuse water pollution, however, arises from many sources and is more difficult to tackle.

In 2009, only 26 per cent of rivers, lakes and other water bodies in England met the required levels of water quality, as set out in the European Water Framework Directive. The Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs and the Agency do not expect that all English water bodies will achieve these levels by the 2027 deadline, as it may be disproportionately costly or not technically feasible. Unless the European Commission agrees a lower target accordingly, the United Kingdom could be exposed to considerable financial penalties.

The National Audit Office feel the Agency has not yet sufficiently identified the extent to which failure to meet standards is due to diffuse pollution and which sources contribute most to this failure. They point out that although the Agency considers the agricultural sector to be the major contributor to diffuse pollution and this sector has been the focus of its activities, there is nevertheless limited information on the impact of different farming activities on water pollution and so it is not possible to establish whether the Agency is effectively targeting its resources.

Despite the Agency’s efforts to persuade farmers to recognise their responsibilities for diffuse pollution, awareness remains low. Seventy-two per cent of farmers that the NAO surveyed considered that agriculture contributed only a little or not at all to diffuse pollution, although 68 per cent stated that they considered the impact on the water environment a fair amount or a great deal when making decisions on their farm.

The NAO have found that the Agency’s advice and the voluntary initiatives across government on changing farming practices have had limited impact and need to be co-ordinated. One joint agency scheme, the England Catchment Sensitive Farming Delivery Initiative, has led to some farmers making changes that are likely to reduce levels of pollution, but there was considerable variation in take-up between areas. Sanctions have proved relatively ineffective in changing farming practices and progress in improving them has been slow. The Agency also has limited evidence of the effectiveness of its inspection activity.

Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office, said: “Poor water quality has serious financial and environmental costs. Many farmers remain unconvinced of their contribution to the problem, so the Environment Agency should intensify its efforts to raise awareness and change behaviour amongst farmers.

“The plans the Agency now has in place for a set of co-ordinated activities by itself and others to raise awareness and change behaviour offer an opportunity to achieve value for money in the future.”

There are two types of pollution: point source pollution, which comes from a single identifiable source such as a factory or sewage treatment works; and diffuse pollution, which comes from multiple dispersed sources, such as agricultural land and road run-off. The cumulative cost of pollution in England and Wales has been estimated at up to £1.3 billion per annum.

In 2000, the United Kingdom agreed to work towards meeting new standards for water and ecological quality in all water bodies (including rivers, canals, lakes and coastal waters), as set out in the European Water Framework Directive, by 2027 at the latest. The Environment Agency has lead responsibility for water quality in England.

The NAO's report can be downloaded by clicking here.

Posted on Environment Times Online on 9th July 2010.

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