A bill to Set targets and objectives relating to water, including in relation to the ownership of water companies and to climate mitigation and adaptation; to require the Secretary of State to publish and implement a strategy for achieving those targets and objectives; to establish a Commission on Water to advise the Secretary of State on that strategy; to make provision about the powers and duties of that Commission, including a requirement to establish a Citizens’ Assembly on water ownership; and for connected purposes.
Be it enacted by the King’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
1 Water: objectives and targets¶
(2ZA) The Secretary of State or, as the case may be, the Authority must achieve the following objectives — (a) securing the conservation, augmentation, distribution and proper use of water resources, and the provision of water supplies; (b) ensuring that sewage, effluents and waste water entering sewerage systems are subject to secondary treatment before discharge except in circumstances where compliance is not reasonably practicable due to exceptional weather events or emergency conditions; (c) ensuring that all available means are used to eliminate agricultural, urban, and industrial pollution in water; (d) the effective implementation of upstream solutions to address pollutants at source to avoid their entry into waterways or water supplies; (e) the restoration and maintenance of high ecological and chemical status of rivers, lakes, other inland waters, transitional waters and coastal waters, including excellent bathing water status and good shellfish water status; (f) securing appropriate conditions for the safe use of inland and coastal waters for recreation; (g) the enhancement and preservation of amenity in connection with inland and coastal waters, with particular regard to biodiversity, ecological resilience, and water quality; (h) effective monitoring of fresh water nature restoration for the purpose of achieving biodiversity targets; and (i) the prevention of over-abstraction from rivers and other water bodies. (2ZB) The Secretary of State or, as the case may be, the Authority must achieve the following objectives and targets in relation to climate mitigation and adaptation— (a) repairing and preventing water leakages so far as reasonably practicable within a reasonable time and in compliance with regulatory requirements; (b) preventing undue evaporation of water; (c) promoting the integration of renewable energy generation into the operations of water undertakers; (d) measuring, reporting on and reducing greenhouse gas emissions of nitrous oxide and methane from wastewater treatment; (e) reducing or eliminating leaks resulting from anaerobic digestion at wastewater treatment facilities, with reduction targets set in line with any guidance issued by the Committee on Climate Change; (f) ensuring that, within four years of the passing of the Water Act 2025, the operations of water undertakers use electricity, vehicles, and heating that do not come from gas, oil or coal, or produce greenhouse gas emissions. (2ZC) The Secretary of State or, as the case may be, the Authority must achieve the following objectives in respect of the provision of domestic and other water supplies and of drinking water— (a) that water is affordable for domestic customers, having regard to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6, and that corporations with very high water usage pay proportionately; (b) that water is universally provided and no person is denied the human right to water, including the provision of free water where appropriate; (c) that drinking water is wholesome and clean. (2ZD) The Secretary of State must achieve the following objectives in respect of the ownership and governance of water companies— (a) representation of trade unions on the boards of water companies; (b) representation of local authorities on the boards of water companies; (c) voting rights for— (i) employees of water companies, and (ii) customers of water companies at general meetings of water companies;(d) effective penalties and enforcement action in cases where water companies fail to meet specified performance standards, and (e) a prohibition on the transfer of public water companies to private ownership. (2ZE) The Secretary of State may by regulations impose duties on water undertakers for the purpose of achieving the objectives and targets under subsections (2ZA) and (2ZB). (2ZF) The objectives and targets in subsections (2ZA) to (2ZD) apply to matters of devolved legislative competence in Wales if the condition in subsection (2ZG) is met. (2ZG) The condition is that Senedd Cymru has passed a motion of the form “That the Senedd agrees to the objectives and targets in section 2(2ZA) to (2ZD) of the Water Industry Act 1991, inserted by the Water Act 2025”.