Why aren't our rivers healthy?
Explore the reasons why our rivers are failing to meet a healthy status under our water environment regulations
Reasons behind our unhealthy rivers
Under our water environment regulations, all waterbodies (stretches of rivers, lakes, estuaries) are assessed and classified according to their chemical and ecological health. Those waterbodies which do not achieve 'Good' status are investigated by the Environment Agency to assess the reasons why. The resulting classification is referred to as 'RNAGS', which stands for 'Reasons for not achieving Good status'.
Each waterbody can have multiple RNAGS attributed to multiple sectors
These Reasons for not achieving Good status can be attributed to a particular sector, such as the Water Industry or Urban & Transport, or alternatively they can be categorised according to the type of activity, such as Poor nutrient management or Urbanisation. It is possible for a single waterbody to have multiple RNAGS. These can be associated with a single sector such as the Water Industry, or could be attributed to a range of sectors including Agriculture and Transport.
Scroll down to explore the 'Reasons for not achieving Good status' in more detail.
