The Clean Water Sports Alliance (CWSA) has written to the Water Minister Emma Hardy, to urge the government to embed stronger protections for public health and recreational waters users into forthcoming water legislation. 

The Alliance, which represents National Governing Bodies for water-based activities across England, Wales and NI, said the new Water Reform Bill cannot be allowed to fall short. 

The Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds has promised ‘once-in-a-generation’ reforms with ‘tough oversight’ and real accountability.

However, the White Paper is light on delivery detail, lacks clarity, and leaves major questions unanswered about what will change in practice and when. 

Public health

The Clean Water Sports Alliance was pleased to see the paper reference public heath throughout, however it was far from clear whether these references related to drinking water, or to the much wider issue of the impact of pollution on water users. 

In the letter to the water minister the CWSA insist there should be a clear and unambiguous public health objective in future legislation. 

This should place a statutory duty on the new water regulator and water companies to protect and improve public health for all water users. 

Kate Fortnam, RYA Sustainability Manager, said: “While we welcome the Water Reform White Paper, we can’t stress enough that more needs to be done to protect those who spend time recreationally in and on the water. This detail is currently missing. 

“We look forward to continuing to work with the Clean Water Sports Alliance on this important piece of work as it is essential to campaign for cleaner and safer water.”

The Alliance is also pushing for greater transparency through open monitoring and data.

This includes confirming that monitoring parameters will cover key risks for recreational safety such as bacteria and viruses and that compliance data must be published in an accessible format. These measures will enable the public to make informed choices about where and when to participate in water activities. 

Bathing waters

The CWSA also demands that regulatory consolidation must strengthen existing targets, backed by increased long-term funding and enforcement capacity to hold polluters accountable.

They also advocate for prioritising upgraded wastewater treatment in areas with high recreational use and delivering ‘pre-pipe’ solutions with clear funding mechanisms. 

Finally, the Alliance argues for moving away from the narrow ‘bathing waters’ framework to a ‘recreational waters’ approach that reflects the full range of activities including sailing, paddling, swimming, rowing and fishing, that depend on clean water. 

The water minister must act now to ensure the Transition Plan and Water Reform Bill lock in these critical changes, safeguarding the health of the public and the future of UK waters.