The Government has challenged water companies to increase their investment and to improve environmental outcomes by 2030, Anglian Water will be  investing in river restoration projects between 2025 to 2030 to enhance and protect our rivers, nurture wildlife and restore important habitats for future generations to enjoy and explore,  river restoration is just one small part of a wider program to improve the environment which is part of our Water Industry National Environment Program (WINEP) Asset Management plan 8 (AMP 8). 

 

These ambitious measures have been set by the Environment Agency, Anglian Water are looking to work with landowners to help deliver River restoration on 16 rivers across the region, these have been identified by the Environment Agency as our region’s most important rivers and streams.  

 

Aim of the works

Our overall aim is to increase the resilience of the river ecosystem, particularly during lower flows in the summer. We want to re-introduce nature-based features back into the river channel to help the river function more naturally and increase conditions for biodiversity to develop. This may include making in-channel enhancements, naturally stabilising the riverbanks, and/or riparian land management options.

How might the work affect you?

During  2024-2025 Anglian Water have asked AECOM to carry out a desk and site based data gathering project of all the waterbodies in the AMP8 river restoration programme to ultimately inform restoration measures for each waterbody, and subsequently provide feasibility assessments for undertaking the work proposed. It is important for us to undertake early stakeholder engagement as part of the work due to the land being primarily privately owned, this will be done through landowner surveys either in person or over the phone. The landowner survey is to help establish pressures, opportunities and support on implementing river restoration opportunities along their section of river and land. Read more in our FAQs.  

Further background information on AWS and WINEP
Anglian Water is the largest regulated water and water recycling company in England and Wales by geographic area, supplying water and water recycling services to almost seven million people in the East of England and Hartlepool.   

Anglian Water is committed to bringing environmental and social prosperity to the region it serves, through its commitment to Love Every Drop. As a purpose-led business, it seeks to contribute to the environmental and social wellbeing of the communities within which it operates.   

The Government has challenged water companies to increase their investment and to improve environmental outcomes by 2030. The ambitious measures set by the Environment Agency in the current Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) water companies will be investing in the natural environment between 2025- March 2030 during AMP8