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Water UK has responded to the publication of the Government's Environment Plan.

The Water Regulations Advisory Scheme (WRAS), with the support of WaterSafe and UK water companies, has launched a campaign to raise awareness of plumbing notification laws.

Regulations under the Town and Country Planning Act that will make water companies statutory consultees for fracking were laid before Parliament last week and are due to come into force in mid-April.

The European Commission is considering measures to control the levels and types of pharmaceuticals and chemicals in the environment and water. The Commission believes there could be risks to public health, although there is currently no robust scientific data about how serious the risks are. Water UK is concerned that the Commission could decide more stringent sewerage treatment is the answer, which could lead to substantial extra costs for companies and customers.

Update on Discover Water

This month we will reach another key milestone in the Ofwat price review to set the levels of water prices and investment in England and Wales over the next five years. Companies are committed to keeping customers' bills as low as possible in 2015-20.

The extraction of shale gas poses potential risks to groundwater reserves, for example through contamination with chemicals used in the fracking process. However, the Infrastructure Act, passed last month, will help mitigate these risks. It states that water companies will need to be consulted for all planning applications involving the boring for, or getting of, oil and natural gas from shale.

Water UK is leading the debate in Europe on options available to address the growing concerns about the prevalence of pharmaceuticals. At present, we believe it is not practical to set formal regulatory standards for pharmaceutical residues in water (either for raw water or tap water) until further research on costs and benefits, supported by robust science, becomes available.

Independent analysis shows universal concern among investors with urgent environmental improvements put at risk.