The Health Check report published by the Campaign for National Parks (CNP) earlier this year included an assessment of water quality in our nation’s protected landscapes. Alarmingly, of the 880 lakes, rivers and streams that they looked at, just five met the highest standards. Only 39% of rivers and 15% of lakes in English National Parks and the Broads were found to be ecologically healthy enough for fish, invertebrates and plant species to thrive. Wetlands such as fens and marshes in the alluvial river valleys of the rivers Bure, Yare and Waveney, and the chalk river headwaters of the Wensum and Bure, support some of the highest concentrations of freshwater Species of Conservation Concern to be seen anywhere in England.
In an unpublished draft report currently out for consultation, the Freshwaters Habitat Trust has identified and compiled the Important Freshwater Areas (IFAs) of the Broadland Rivers catchment to better focus the application of laws, regulations and policies in this sector. The Broadland Rivers catchment is known to include some of Britain’s best-known and most biologically diverse wetlands, and the analysis identifies new ones, especially in headwaters and groups of ponds. Comments on this map are actively being sought.

These issues affect all of us, as well as wildlife. The Broads deliver a wide range of free benefits, sometimes called ecosystem services - a gift from nature. Reedbeds, fens and marshes are home to a huge variety of wildlife, including rarities such as water voles, bitterns and eels, but they also filter and cleanse water flowing from the land, water that is needed for human use. In 1995 most of the Trinity Broads complex, a tributary of the River Bure, was bought by Essex & Suffolk Water to supply drinking water to Great Yarmouth and beyond. This water abstraction is licensed to supply up to 36,000 tonnes of water per day, with an additional 27,000 tonnes per day coming from Belaugh.
However, pollution of our waterways from sewage discharges, insufficient enforcement, and inadequate planning have become a growing concern to water companies and the public. Many of the treatment facilities in the Broads are now outdated and undersized, unable to handle the influx of millions of visitors each year, or cope with the heavy rainfall associated with climate change. In 2022 alone, 377 sewage overflows were recorded within England and Wales National Parks, lasting a combined total of 176,818 hours. Although the treasured Broads are the most biodiverse wetland in the UK, they still experienced 2,964 hours of sewage discharge in that same year.
In 2023, over 700 hours of sewage discharge occurred on the River Bure above the Belaugh drinking water intake, meaning contaminants from upstream Aylsham likely ended up in the drinking water supplies of Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. Similarly, on the River Wensum, more than 1,000 hours of sewage spills were recorded above the drinking water intake for Norwich.
The Victorians understood the importance of separating sewage from drinking water to prevent disease, but in 2024, the infrastructure that they put in place to achieve this is no longer fit for purpose. As we’ve mentioned in a recent blog, pharmaceuticals in sewage are a significant concern, but so are our everyday cleaning products. Imagine walking down the cleaning aisle of your local supermarket – within days or weeks, those products are likely to end up flowing into our rivers. Even treated sewage still contains residual chemicals, which are expensive for water companies to remove before discharge.
As the Broads Authority is well aware, the Broads Executive Area includes only the lower and middle reaches of Norfolk’s main rivers. While this is just 303 sq km, the catchments that feed into it cover more than ten times as much land, much of which is arable. Any failings in sewage control by water companies or leaky septic tanks across that vast region must eventually feed through to the Protected Landscape of the Broads.
The Broads are Britain’s most important freshwater wetland and the only national park equivalent in the country that reaches into the heart of a major city. The Executive Area extends up the River Wensum as far as New Mills in the heart of Norwich. Very recently, the Rivers Trust's updated Sewage Map released by the Environment Agency revealed alarmingly high levels of untreated sewage discharging into this river.

Sewage in our lakes and rivers is not only unpleasant - it can also be dangerous. Water polluted with nutrients and sewage can become high in bacteria or blue-green algae, harmful to people and often fatal for nature. Every year, at least 7 million people explore the Broads rivers and wetlands, whether navigating the waterways by boat and paddleboard, or enjoying splash sports like windsurfing, water skiing or even, in special places, wild swimming. Water companies and regulators have neglected the health status of the Broads and other Protected Landscapes for too long, but now the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill requires public bodies to further the objects of Protected Landscapes, and it’s time for water companies and regulators to upgrade their appreciation the importance of places like the Broads.
CNP and its members, including the Broads Society, are calling for strong clean water protections, with legally binding requirements to clean up our lakes, rivers and streams. Government, regulators and companies should be required to prioritise waters in Protected Landscapes and take all action necessary to ensure that these waterways achieve at least Good Ecological Status by 2027, with High Status achieved in iconic sites such as the Broads and Lake Windermere, which has been much in the news of late.

Defra recently announced a new Water (Special Measures) Bill to reinforce the ‘polluter pays principle’, spend fines from water companies on nature recovery, and see errant company bosses stripped of their bonuses and sentenced for their failings. Sewage outflows are already being independently monitored, with real-time data published online. In the coming months, we hope to see a full, consultative review of further legislation to shape water management and ensure a long-term sustainability framework at catchment, regional and national scale.
Mark Collins is Chair of the Broads Society.
Quite right Ben. Indeed, this is why Belaugh is a source of clean water for human consumption, as mentioned in para 3 of the piece. Belaugh sewage works didn't get any air time from me!
Belaugh Sewerage Works:– For the sake of clarity, whereas the attributed name is indeed "Belaugh", for purpose of full-and-pointed perception, the discharge point is <1km above Wroxham with the village of Belaugh a further ~5km upstream around a huge horseshe bend in the river. Villagers are constantly dismayed at the alluded taint put upon their pleasant and clean backwater, while the tourism honeypot and dense population of Wroxham remains free despite being the immediate recipient of foul discharges.
If public perception were more focused onto Wroxham, then pressure on the treatment works to mend their ways would perhaps become more impactful.