On 29 September, Defra announced a consultation on proposed amendments to the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 as they apply to groundwater activities and some related surface water discharges. The proposed amendments aim to address three policy objectives:

• to provide an improved hierarchy of regulatory controls for groundwater activities;
• to provide controls for a greater range of potential pollutants; and
• to improve existing control measures for protecting groundwater from site-based activities.

The consultation document is here and the consultation closes on 22 December*. Submissions may be made either via a survey on the consultation page, via e-mail to EPRamendments2021@defra.gov.uk or by post to:

Consultation on Amendments to the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016, Consultation Coordinator, 2nd Floor, Foss House, Kings Pool, 1-2 Peasholme Green. YORK YO17 PX16.

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