Indicator: B2 - Serious pollution incidents to water - Outcome indicator framework for the 25 Year Environment Plan

Short description

This indicator shows changes in the number of pollution incidents impacting on water health, including in rivers, lakes, reservoirs, canals, coasts, estuaries and groundwater. Serious pollution incidents are a pressure on the water environment. The Environment Agency uses 4 categories to determine the severity of pollution incidents. The indicator shows the number of events in each year that are in the 2 higher categories (category 1, major and category 2, significant), for example, causing death of fish, potential harm to bathers, or the temporary cessation of abstraction from a river by a drinking water provider.

Readiness and links to data

Data are already published annually by the Environment Agency: Pollution incidents data and in Section 5 of the Water and Sewerage Companies in England environmental performance report; longer-term trends are available in the State of the environment: water quality report and the Regulating for people, the environment and growth report.

Trend description

The total number of serious pollution incidents to water in England has fallen from 427 in 2009 to 266 in 2019, a drop of 38%. Category 2 (significant) incidents decreased from 361 in 2009 to 225 in 2019; category 1 (major) incidents decreased from 66 to 41 over the same 10-year period.

Chart
Table

B2, Serious pollution incidents to water in England, 2001 to 2019

Source:: Environment Agency
Unit of Measurement:: Number of incidents
Footnote:: Only includes incidents where investigations and response have been completed by the Environment Agency. Some incidents may take an extended period of months, or exceptionally years, to be completed.

The dataset only includes substantiated incidents and their environmental impact, that is where there is confirmation that the incident took place either by a visit from the Environment Agency or a partner organisation, or it is corroborated by other information.

Results do not include incidents relating to:

• Fisheries incidents – incidents involving illegal fishing and illegal fish movements, fish disease, fishery management activities and fish kills from non-pollution causes, including low flows and low dissolved oxygen.
• Water Resources incidents – incidents involving the quantity of a water resource.
• Waterways incidents – incidents on a waterway where the Environment Agency are the competent authority for navigation
• Flood and Coastal Risk Management incidents – for incidents which involve actual or potential flooding and land drainage works.

Source:: Environment Agency
Unit of Measurement:: Number of incidents
Footnote:: Only includes incidents where investigations and response have been completed by the Environment Agency. Some incidents may take an extended period of months, or exceptionally years, to be completed.

The dataset only includes substantiated incidents and their environmental impact, that is where there is confirmation that the incident took place either by a visit from the Environment Agency or a partner organisation, or it is corroborated by other information.

Results do not include incidents relating to:

• Fisheries incidents – incidents involving illegal fishing and illegal fish movements, fish disease, fishery management activities and fish kills from non-pollution causes, including low flows and low dissolved oxygen.
• Water Resources incidents – incidents involving the quantity of a water resource.
• Waterways incidents – incidents on a waterway where the Environment Agency are the competent authority for navigation
• Flood and Coastal Risk Management incidents – for incidents which involve actual or potential flooding and land drainage works.

Metadata

This table provides metadata for the interim or final indicator presented above.

Indicator name	Serious pollution incidents to water
Indicator reference	B2
Outcome Indicator Framework theme	Water
Headline indicator status	Not applicable
Relevant goal(s) in the 25 Year Environment Plan	Clean and plentiful water Thriving plants and wildlife
Relevant target(s) in the 25 Year Environment Plan	No specific target
Position in the natural capital framework	Pressure on natural capital assets
Related reporting commitments	Domestically under the Environment Act 1995 Relevant under the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 6
Geographic scope	England; data for individual incidents at any geographical scale are also available.
Status of indicator development	Final
Date last updated	11 June 2021

B2: Serious pollution incidents to water

Short description

Readiness and links to data

Trend description

Sub-categories

B2, Serious pollution incidents to water in England, 2001 to 2019

Chart details

Chart details