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Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP)
What is the WINEP?
The Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) is a large regulatory framework that outlines the environmental obligations for water companies. It is developed by the Environment Agency (EA), Defra, Natural England (NE) and Ofwat. It sets out the water industry’s contribution to delivering the wider national objectives for the natural environment as set out in the River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) and other statutory plans. It is the most important programme of environmental investment in England; it consists of investing £22.1bn of asset improvements, investigations, monitoring, and catchment interventions.
Key aspects of WINEP include:
Methodology: The WINEP methodology sets out the process for designing, developing, and delivering environmental projects using data and evidence from the Environment Agency, Natural England and water companies to inform where action is required.
Outcomes-Based Approach: WINEP uses a tiered approach to link specific actions to broader environmental outcomes, such as improving water quality and enhancing biodiversity
WINEP projects are funded through the Price Review process, ensuring that water companies have the necessary resources to meet their environmental obligations using data and evidence from EA and NE, and the water companies to inform where action is required.
What this means for the environment?
Over the next 5 years, through delivery of the WINEP, we estimate the following outputs and outcomes. Please note this is not exhaustive. These will be refined further during the WINEP delivery period :
Approximately 13,500km of river waterbody estimated to be enhanced or protected.
Reduction in phosphorous inputs to the environment at over 800 sewage treatment works resulting in approximately 33% reduction in load discharged. In terms of total phosphorus removed this will equate to 2,380 tonnes per annum reduction.
Approximately 2,350 storm overflows are expected to be improved. This is expected to result in an estimated annual reduction of approximately 85,000 spills.
3,500 Event Duration Monitors will be installed on Emergency Overflows. This implements a 2-minute frequency monitoring regime and should provide greater insight into the number and duration of spills that are occurring at these assets.
Installation of approximately 3,500 continuous water quality monitors. These monitors will allow sewerage undertakers to better assess the impact of discharges from their assets on the receiving watercourse, resulting in targeted investigation and improvement programmes.
Over 60 million litres per day are estimated to be retained in the environment as a result of abstraction licence reduction or cessation. A further 200 million litres per day removed from licences to protect the water environment from increased abstraction to reduce risk of deterioration. In total the estimated changes to abstraction to protect the environment equates to the volume of water required to supply 2,500,000 people (approximately equivalent to the West Midlands conurbation).
Approximately 54 improvements to benefit fish include removing structures, creating bypass channels, and installing technical fish passes and a further 41 actions to improve diversion structures or addressing barriers to the passage of eel (for example building and maintaining eel passes).
Water company WINEP and advanced WINEP case studies
The following case studies illustrate schemes from the new WINEP dataset. All water companies were contacted with a request for indicative schemes. Find out more by clicking on one of the links below.
The Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) is a large regulatory framework that outlines the environmental obligations for water companies. It is developed by the Environment Agency (EA), Defra, Natural England (NE) and Ofwat. It sets out the water industry’s contribution to delivering the wider national objectives for the natural environment as set out in the River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) and other statutory plans. It is the most important programme of environmental investment in England; it consists of investing £22.1bn of asset improvements, investigations, monitoring, and catchment interventions.
Key aspects of WINEP include:
Methodology: The WINEP methodology sets out the process for designing, developing, and delivering environmental projects using data and evidence from the Environment Agency, Natural England and water companies to inform where action is required.
Outcomes-Based Approach: WINEP uses a tiered approach to link specific actions to broader environmental outcomes, such as improving water quality and enhancing biodiversity
WINEP projects are funded through the Price Review process, ensuring that water companies have the necessary resources to meet their environmental obligations using data and evidence from EA and NE, and the water companies to inform where action is required.
What this means for the environment?
Over the next 5 years, through delivery of the WINEP, we estimate the following outputs and outcomes. Please note this is not exhaustive. These will be refined further during the WINEP delivery period :
Approximately 13,500km of river waterbody estimated to be enhanced or protected.
Reduction in phosphorous inputs to the environment at over 800 sewage treatment works resulting in approximately 33% reduction in load discharged. In terms of total phosphorus removed this will equate to 2,380 tonnes per annum reduction.
Approximately 2,350 storm overflows are expected to be improved. This is expected to result in an estimated annual reduction of approximately 85,000 spills.
3,500 Event Duration Monitors will be installed on Emergency Overflows. This implements a 2-minute frequency monitoring regime and should provide greater insight into the number and duration of spills that are occurring at these assets.
Installation of approximately 3,500 continuous water quality monitors. These monitors will allow sewerage undertakers to better assess the impact of discharges from their assets on the receiving watercourse, resulting in targeted investigation and improvement programmes.
Over 60 million litres per day are estimated to be retained in the environment as a result of abstraction licence reduction or cessation. A further 200 million litres per day removed from licences to protect the water environment from increased abstraction to reduce risk of deterioration. In total the estimated changes to abstraction to protect the environment equates to the volume of water required to supply 2,500,000 people (approximately equivalent to the West Midlands conurbation).
Approximately 54 improvements to benefit fish include removing structures, creating bypass channels, and installing technical fish passes and a further 41 actions to improve diversion structures or addressing barriers to the passage of eel (for example building and maintaining eel passes).
Water company WINEP and advanced WINEP case studies
The following case studies illustrate schemes from the new WINEP dataset. All water companies were contacted with a request for indicative schemes. Find out more by clicking on one of the links below.
