Water Quality Could Tank In UK Due To Brexit
By Sara Jerome,
@sarmje
Experts have argued that water and wastewater quality problems could worsen as a result of the nation’s vote to exit the European Union, a departure known as “Brexit.” Policy analysts who testified before a parliamentary committee in November conveyed that Brexit “could result in economic downturn and the slow degradation of environmental regulations in the waste and water industries,” per a report by Edie.net.
The nation is second-to-last in a ranking of European Union countries on the quality of their swimming waters, “stoking fears that the ‘dirty man of Europe’ could be on his way home after Brexit,” The Guardian recently reported.
The findings are based on an annual survey by the European Environmental Agency (EEA). Twenty sites in the UK failed the assessment.
“Only Ireland had a higher percentage of poor quality bathing waters at 4 percent,” the news report said.
However, the EU may have ways of responding if the UK neglects water quality and other environmental issues, The Guardian reported. For instance, Benedek Jávor, the co-chair of the European parliament’s environment committee, said “the EU could put pressure on the U.K. by saying that British products will not be allowed into EU markets unless they meet environmental standards.”
He added: “If there are scandals or the bathing water quality falls below a certain level, national governments or the EU could send warnings to companies not to organise trips to British beaches.”
The new assessment of beaches by the EEA held positive news about the state of water quality across the continent.
“More European sites were deemed of ‘Excellent’ quality — that is mostly free from pollutants that are harmful to human health and the environment — than in 2015 and previous years. And very few fall short of the minimum ‘Poor’ standard — over 96 percent of bathing water sites met minimum quality requirements set out in the EU’s Bathing Water Directive,” according to Energy & Environment Management.
Water Online’s Peter Chawaga examined the implications of Brexit in a report in July. He noted that in the aftermath of the vote, British Water, a trade group for water and wastewater companies, sought to define how it would navigate the new landscape.
“We will further develop our established links with government organizations, such as UK Trade & Investment and UK Export Finance, and work with them to signpost our members towards the advice they need,” Lloyd Martin, the chief executive of British Water, told Water Online. “We will contribute actively to whatever discussion groups are set up across the industry to pool our knowledge with as many organizations and stakeholders as possible.”