Water is both a foundational element of life and key economic resource. From agriculture to local businesses, and from managed ecosystems to urban centres, clean water underpins human health and prosperity. However, one of the most pervasive and under-understood drivers of contaminated water systems in the UK is sewage and wastewater.

If there is any consensus to come out of the growing conversation about river and coastal water quality in the UK, it is that there is no quick fix to sewage pollution. Water contamination is a long-term challenge rooted in climate change, rapid population growth, urbanisation, and other systemic trends.