21 Jan 2025
A marshland nature reserve built with more than three million tonnes of soil from the Crossrail scheme could be expanded. Plans have been made to grow RSPB Wallasea Island, a 740-hectare reserve at Rochford in Essex, by 100 hectares – about the size of 140 football pitches. After the purchase of four fields to the […]
16 Jan 2025
A new report demonstrates how the UK’s unique network of historic canals, a legacy of the Industrial Revolution, are being repurposed to address some of the greatest challenges facing society. The report by the Canal & River Trust charity found canals could play a “critical role” in biodiversity, decarbonisation and climate adaptation. Photo credit: Malcolm Stirling […]
16 Jan 2025
The climate crisis is “wreaking havoc” on the planet’s water cycle, with ferocious floods and crippling droughts affecting billions of people, a report has found. The 2024 Global Water Monitor Report was produced by an international team of researchers from universities in Australia, Saudi Arabia, China, Germany and elsewhere. The team used data from thousands of ground […]
16 Jan 2025
The Guardian reports that Downing Street has blocked plans to release wild beavers in England because officials view it as a “Tory legacy”, the Guardian can reveal. Photo credit: Pierre Miyamoto Natural England, the government’s nature watchdog, has drawn up a plan for reintroductions of the rodent, which until about 20 years ago had been […]
16 Jan 2025
Useful article in New Civil Engineer Water industry experts have expressed dismay at the news that mandatory sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) for developments over 100m2 is not being introduced, despite the Department for Food, Rural Affairs and Environment’s (Defra’s) promise. Despite the government saying that Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 would […]
16 Jan 2025
The Guardian reports water shortage fears as Labour’s first AI growth zone is to be sited just seven miles from Abingdon reservoir planned for water-stressed south-east England. Labour’s first artificial intelligence growth zone will be sited close to the UK’s first new reservoir in 30 years, sparking fears that the AI push will add to […]
16 Jan 2025
The UK Water Report says the Environment Agency (EA) has found catchment nutrient balancing (CNB) to be “ineffective and unworkable as a regulatory mechanism”. Ahead of Christmas, it told water companies it was minded to withdraw CNB permitting as a regulatory mechanism for wastewater treatment works discharges – from the start of AMP8. CNB allows water […]
16 Jan 2025
The 5th edition of the well-known textbook “Urban Drainage” by David Butler, Chris Digman, Christos Makropoulos and John W. Davies has just been published. Photo credit: Chris F Keeping its balance of principles, practice, and research, this new edition has had the most comprehensive update of any edition so far. It includes a […]
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