This response has been informed by experts on the ICE’s Water & Sanitation Community Advisory Board.
This submission outlines that:
An ecological standard for coastal and estuarine waters would help to protect these ecosystems and ensure that they can continue to provide environmental and societal benefits in years to come.
The development of an ecology standard for coastal and estuarine overflows should take into account a number of considerations, including:
- the types of pollutants discharged
- habitat management
- the impact of tides and currents on distribution of pollutants
- for any programme of works to account for net zero greenhouse gas emissions
Prevention is better than a cure: it's better to eliminate the root cause of pollutants than to remove pollutants afterwards.
All overflows, including those discharging into coastal and estuarine waters, should be included in the scope of the storm overflows discharge reduction plan.
Firstly, all overflows have the potential to pollute watercourses. It's important to understand the impacts of this pollution on the environment, public health, and the economy, whether positive or negative.
Second, by including all overflows in the scope of the plan, Defra can ensure a more comprehensive and effective approach is taken to reducing discharges.
ICE submission to Defra consultation on the storm overflows discharge reduction plan
Content type: Policy
Last updated: 25 July 2023
You may also be interested in@headerSize>

- Type
- Conference
ICE Coastal Management 2025
The ICE’s Coastal Management conference will bring together engineers, contractors, consultants, asset owners and academics to discuss and consider the future of coastal and marine engineering.

- Type
- Webinar
Greenheart timber: design using sustainable marine timbers to deliver net zero and drive circularity
Learn about the sustainable forestry methods and the carbon credentials of Greenheart timber, commonly used in marine and coastal civil engineering works.

- Type
- Lecture
PIANC UK site event: Poole Harbour
Join us for the annual PIANC UK site event, where members will be sharing their knowledge and experience from recent local projects around Poole.