UK Environment Act 2021

What is the Environment Act 2021?

In November 2021, an innovative framework for environmental protection became law in England. This legislation—formally called the Environment Act 2021—aims to improve air and water quality, tackle waste, increase recycling, halt species decline, and improve our natural environment.

Part 5, Section 82 of the Act, states that all English water utilities are to continuously monitor water quality upstream and downstream of all sewage storm overflows and sewage treatment works, which discharge into a watercourse.

Monitoring the quality of water potentially affected by discharges

Part 5, Section 82

“A sewage undertaker whose area is wholly or mainly in England must continuously monitor the quality of the water upstream and downstream of an asset within subsection (2) for the purpose of obtaining the referred to in subsection (3)"

The Environment Act 2021 sets ambitious targets for protecting our rivers, estuaries, and coastal zones. This includes continuously monitoring key water quality parameters:

Dissolved Oxygen
Temperature
pH
Turbidity
Ammonia
Others specified by the Secretary of State

The aim of this Act is to reduce the number of sewage-related spills in England’s rivers, lakes, and coastal areas, and to improve overall water quality in river catchments.

What are the long-term goals of the Environment Act 2021?

The Environment Act 2021 includes targets to monitor at least 40% of all assets (i.e., sewage works and overflow discharge locations), which are not exempt, by the end of 2030. This includes all assets defined as high-priority sites, which include:

- Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) are areas of particular interest to science due to the rare species of fauna or flora they contain—or even important geological or physiological features that may lie within their boundaries.
- Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) protect one or more special habitats and/or terrestrial or marine species listed in the European Union’s Habitats Directive.
- Urban Wastewater Treatment Regulation-sensitive areas. Under these regulations, water bodies that are—or may soon become—eutrophic should be designated as sensitive areas. This applies to fresh waters, rivers, estuaries, and coastal waters.
- Chalk streams comprise some of the most beautiful rivers in England. Their pure, clear, constant water from underground chalk aquifers and springs—flowing across flinty gravel beds—make them perfect clean water sources and are ideal locations for wild animals to breed and thrive.
- Any assets within 5 km (3.1 mi) upstream of designated inland or estuarine bathing waters.
- Waters currently failing Water Framework Directive ecological standards due to storm overflows or final effluent.

In regards to the number of overflow spills:

By 2035, water companies will have to improve/reduce ALL storm overflows discharging into or near every designated bathing water, and improve/reduce 75% of overflows discharging to high-priority nature sites
By 2050, this will apply to all remaining storm overflows covered by Government DEFRA’S targets, regardless of location

How we can help you monitor

It's your world. Protect it.

Throughout England and the rest of the world, YSI's EXO Multiparameter Sondes are trusted to provide reliable water quality data. EXO Sondes can be equipped with multiple water quality sensors at once, including those outlined by Section 82 (DO, temperature, pH, turbidity, and ammonia). The EXO2 is our largest capacity sonde, with room for more sensors if other parameters are required. Titanium sensors and rugged components provide protection in harsh field conditions, while the powerful Central Wiper keeps sensors clear from all types of fouling during extended deployments.

EXO Sondes are easily integrated into systems, including pipes, kiosks, or pole-mounted solutions. Low power consumption and a huge onboard memory allow for continuous logging of over a million readings. Standard EXO models have a built-in battery compartment, allowing them to be deployed autonomously. If external power is available, the EXO-S series (like the EXO2s) provide the same sensor and anti-fouling options in a smaller, lighter, and easier to deploy package.

Data from anywhere

View live data on-site with either the rugged EXO Handheld Display or conveniently on your phone using the Kor Mobile app. Monitor data remotely from your water utility SCADA system or connect to HydroSphere, Xylem's cloud-based data visualization platform. View customizable dashboards, graphs, and tables on any web-connected device. Build reports, create a public web portal, and even set alarms to alert you the moment environmental conditions change.

Read about three test sites where Xylem UK worked with local water authorities to deploy EXO Sondes: Case Studies in Compliance | Environment Act 2021 Monitoring with the EXO Sonde

Environment Act 2021 - How to Overcome Data Uncertainty in Water Quality Monitoring

Reliable data is essential to guarantee the protection of our rivers, streams, lakes, estuaries, and coastal waters. The Environment Act 2021 has changed regulations in the United Kingdom, creating new standards for water quality monitoring as well as some confusion around the challenges of collecting continuous data and – more importantly – collecting data you can trust.

In this on-demand webinar, our experts share three case studies highlighting best practices to help ensure data integrity.

How Sensors Work webinar series:

Learn more about these common water quality parameters, including why it is important to monitor each parameter, how monitoring technologies have evolved, and the underlying principles of how sensors work. We also cover real-world examples to describe how each sensor type operates in practice.