Post the industrial revolution the UK’s waterways became very polluted, but the last 30 years have seen a massive turnaround in the UK’s water quality. Since the pandemic wild swimming has had a boom in popularity, with the UK’s beaches, lakes and rivers becoming popular destinations for being in nature and going for a dip.

Today, the issue of water quality has become a very prominent issue, with campaigns and organisations protesting the releasing of untreated sewage into waterways. However water quality is not defined just by it being safe for wild swimming. There are many different sources and types of pollutants that reach the UKs rivers and beaches, including chemical, pharmaceutical and biological.

To monitor the quality of water across the UK is a monumental task with the industry reliant on citizen science to help understand the level of pollution and its impacts. New technology, improved regulation and more funding for the Environment Agency is needed for us to understand the water quality across the country and put in place measures to improve it.

Guests

Vera Jones, Global technical authority for water quality, AtkinsRéalis

Stuart Colville, Director for strategy, Water UK

Tessa Wardely, Director of communications and advocacy, Rivers Trust

Partner

AtkinsRéalis is one of the world’s most respected design, engineering and project management consultancies. Employing over 18,000 people across the UK, North America, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific and Europe, AtkinsRéalis uses the latest technology to deliver major capital projects, and provide expert consultancy for clients across the energy, transportation and infrastructure sectors.