Scope for a Citizens’ Assembly

Proposal: Suggested Topic to Cover

Additional topics, revisions and elisions will come out of conversations with potential allies who step forward to work on the campaign, as well as the community assemblies and respondents all over Great Britain who will be able to feed into the topics to be covered by the Citizens’ Assembly.

1. Drinking Water Infrastructure
   
2. Water Conservation, including:
   1. options for capture and storage in a changing climate
   2. groundwater retention/soil rehydration/aquifer replenishment
   3. flood mitigations
   4. building/construction options and impact
      1. evaluation of the benefits of ecological vs big engineering solutions
   5. regional justice: why should one supply another?
      
3. Waste Water Treatment & Infrastructure, including:
   1. options to reduce/recycle waste water volumes
   2. options for sewage treatment & capacity
   3. separation of sewage and waste water from rain runoff
   4. stop wasting drinking water, specifically in toilet cisterns
      
4. Provisions for Water in the Built Environment
   
5. Agricultural Use and Abuse, including:
   1. chemicals over-use – herbicides, insecticides, fertilisers, antibiotics
   2. treatment of animal waste, to keep it off the land
      
6. Industrial Use and Abuse, including:
   1. excessive abstraction
   2. abstraction permits review
   3. fire suppressants & other PFAs
   4. plastic
      
7. Landfill and Waste Disposal, including:
   1. soil erosion and leakage from landfill
   2. toxic waste disposal, including historical disposal
      
8. Transport, including
   1. road runoff isolation & separate treatment?
   2. how to eliminate vehicle tyre, brake-pad, suspension erosion and toxic waste
   3. impacts of spills, accidents and vehicle fires
      
9. Environmental and Ecological Protection, including:
   1. reverse the existing damage
   2. avoiding further harm
   3. how to hold that line, e.g. multi-agency & citizen oversight
   4. enforcement 
      
10. Water Providers – mandate, structure, operation, including:
    1. a written, enforceable mandate 
    2. an enforceable service level agreement with water customers/all citizens
    3. the preferred structure of a/every water provider
    4. the appropriate level and form of democratic control 
       
11. Regulation, including:
    1. independence from government interference: a long view
    2. a written, enforceable mandate and scope
       1. needs to address all who pollute water and ecologies
       2. bring abstraction licencing and monitoring under close control
    3. sustainable levels of effective funding, personnel and equipment
    4. enforcement powers
    5. the appropriate level and form of democratic control 
       
12. Government
    1. bring MoD land under accountable frameworks for disposal of toxic waste
    2. the necessary legislation and support for all aspects here
    3. how to provide the necessary levels of funding to support these recommendations
       
13. What Next?
    1. how should the recommendations of this Assembly be followed up?
    2. should we convene a second Assembly, to measure the effectiveness of this one? If so, when?

Please direct any queries and interest to contact@waterpressure.uk