The landmark Environment Bill 2020 has returned to Parliament this week after a delay due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The wide-ranging bill, which is seen as a key part of the government’s strategy to deliver the bold vision set out in the recently published 25 Year Environment Plan, includes a focus on improving the resilience of water supplies and achieving plentiful clean water.

In ‘A Green Future: Our 25 year plan to improve the environment’, the government commits to achieving a clean and plentiful water supply by “supporting OFWAT’s ambitions on leakage, minimising the amount of water lost through leakage year-on-year, with water companies expected to reduce leakage by at least an average of 15% by 2025”.

The Environment Bill aims to introduce legally-binding targets for air quality, nature, water and resource and waste efficiency, and a new-independent Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) will be created to hold government and public bodies to account for their environmental credentials.

Additionally, the Bill will protect precious water resources by increasing sustainable water management through securing long-term, resilient water and wastewater services in the face of a changing climate.  Powers to direct water companies to work together to meet current and future demand for water will make planning more robust.

In re-introducing the Bill into Parliament, Environment Minister Rebecca Pow explained that “the Environment Bill is one of the most important pieces of legislation for a generation, and it is essential that we complete its passage into law as soon as possible so that we can continue our work to transform society and improve our air, water and nature”.

HWM offers a variety of advanced leak detection solutions to help water companies to achieve ambitious water loss targets.  The NBIoT-enabled PermaNET SU, for example, benefits from advanced cellular telemetry technology to provide efficient fixed network monitoring.

We also offer a selection of portable leak detection devices, electronic ground microphones, correlators and pressure control systems.

To find out more about our range of leak detection products please click here.