Environment Agency

How waste sites are monitored: who deals with odour and other types of pollution?

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Environment Agency, Regulated industry, Waste
Two EA staff monitoring a waste site with waste bales in the background

If you live near a waste site, recurring odour pollution or concerns about other types of pollution can quickly become a source of stress. Monitoring is a shared responsibility. Site operators must monitor and manage their sites. The Environment Agency …

How waste sites are regulated: what the Environment Agency and operators are responsible for. 

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Environment Agency staff member undertaking a waste site inspection with waste and machinery

The Environment Agency is the main body in England responsible for making sure waste is regulated effectively. As the population grows and the climate changes, managing waste well is more important than ever for a sustainable future. Our rules help …

Understanding drought: applying science to protect people and nature 

Posted by: , and , Posted on: - Categories: Climate change, Drought, Environment Agency, Science, Water
Photo shows EA scientists testing bathing water samples in a lab

By Dr Rob Bradburne, Environment Agency Chief Scientist  How does climate change affect drought?   This summer has been a reminder that climate change is no longer something we talk about in terms of future generations.  For many people, this summer …

Environmental permits: why they matter and how we're making it quicker to get one 

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Every year, the Environment Agency processes over 13,000 permit applications.   These decisions cover an enormous range of activity. From a small waste transfer site to permits regulating how the nation handles nuclear waste, every single one matters because they protect …

How does the Environment Agency manage abstraction to protect the environment?

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: agriculture, Climate change, Drought, Regulated industry, Rivers, Water
Image of a farm reservoir

Water is essential for drinking, farming, industry, wildlife and recreation. Sustainable water abstraction is essential to ensure that river flows and groundwater levels support ecology and natural resilience. We work side by side with abstractors, combining their knowledge of the land with ours, to …

Wrong pipe, wrong place: the misconnection problem

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Rivers, Water, Water Monitoring
View of Lake Windermere

Elizabeth Maerz, Environment Officer for Cumbria Every day, our officers investigate pollution reports across the country's rivers and lakes. Surprisingly often, the cause is something quite ordinary: a household drainage system connected the wrong way round. Windermere, England's largest lake, …

Can nuclear regulation protect people and the environment and support innovation? Moving from promise to safe, sustainable progress.

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Nuclear, Regulated industry, Sustainability, Uncategorized
Spot the robot dog in the Calder turbine hall at Sellafield

Jake Surman is the Environment Agency’s innovation lead in our nuclear strategy team. As the Heads of Innovation Forum meets for its annual meeting Jake provides an update on our work New nuclear technologies, novel uses of radioactive substances and advancing digital innovations could help the UK produce cheaper low carbon energy, speed-up nuclear decommissioning …

England's salmon stocks: what the latest data tells us 

Photo showing a salmon jumping in a river.

Atlantic salmon are a remarkable and iconic species. Hatching in rivers across Northern Europe, they migrate thousands of miles across the North Atlantic to feed and grow before returning to those same rivers to spawn.      Every year, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture …

Enabling the safe and sustainable growth of the fusion industry

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Nuclear, Regulated industry
Photo showing the Joint European Torus (JET) with plasma

Yasmin is an advisor in our Advanced Technologies and Fusion Strategy team. Here she highlights the benefits of our new early engagement process and the Environment Agency’s role regulating the fusion industry. The Environment Agency, working alongside the Health and Safety Executive, is the regulator of fusion research sites and will jointly regulate future commercial …