Water is one of Wales’s most valuable natural assets – and one with a long and complex history. A Plaid Cymru government will take immediate steps to secure the full devolution of powers over water, using these powers to improve water quality, tackle pollution, and support greater long-term affordability for households.
We will:
- Formally request the full devolution of powers over water in Wales, as provided for by the Wales Act 2017.
- Establish a new Welsh water regulator, with powers to set made-in-Wales price controls, limit excessive water-company bonuses, and direct capital investment in reducing sewage spills, wastewater and drainage upgrades, and wider environmental improvements.
- Increase take-up of water metering and examine rising-block tariffs as a way to reduce water bills.
- Set out pathways to nationalisation of Welsh water, and examine options for a levy on cross-border water transfers.
We will set new and enforceable targets to reduce pollution in our rivers and seas, based on the ‘polluter pays’ principle and prosecuting serious and serial offenders as necessary.
We will collect more and better data on pollution incidents and work to ensure every water body in Wales achieves a minimum ‘good’ status – including by moving from the outdated ‘farming by calendar’ approach on tackling run-offs from agriculture, to a science-led, outcome-based and risk-appropriate system that prevents pollution while supporting sustainable farming.