Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with Severn Water on reviewing the condition of the aquifers it abstracts water from.

The Environment Agency works closely with Severn Trent Water on the current condition of aquifers and the action needed to achieve a sustainable level of abstraction.

Some aquifers in the Severn Trent Water supply area are over-abstracted and it is a challenge to get the right balance between protecting the environment while maintaining security of supply. To meet this challenge Severn Trent Water has one of the largest investment plans in the water industry to manage abstraction licences and groundwater quality.

A detailed assessment on the condition of the aquifers that Severn Trent abstracts may be found in the Severn river basin district river basin management plan: updated 2022 - GOV.UK.