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<p>A number of funded programmes across Defra deliver multiple environmental benefits.
For example, from the start of 2014/15 to the end of 2021/22, we will have spent around
£3bn on agri-environment schemes under the Rural Development Programme for England.
These schemes help farmers deliver multiple and joint benefits for water, air, biodiversity,
flood prevention and more. While some of this is directly targeted at water quality,
the wider spend has broader, cross cutting benefits some of which will help to improve
water quality, which cannot be simply disaggregated. There, is therefore, no single
budgetary figure that can capture all the work done across the Department to tackle
river and water pollution.</p><p> </p><p>Of programmes specifically aimed at water
management the Water Environment Improvement Fund, with a resources budget of £6.5
million and a capital fund of £10 million in 2020/21, supports local catchment schemes
tackling river and other water pollution. A resource budget of £2.86 million and capital
budget of £4 million is available for the Water and Abandoned Metal Mines scheme,
which funds measures to prevent water from disused mines, polluted with harmful metals
such as lead and zinc, entering surface and groundwater.</p><p> </p><p>Tackling river
and other water pollution is supported by considerable water company investment in
environmental improvements, under their statutory obligations. In the Price Review
period 2020-25, investment has been scaled up to £4.6 billion.</p>
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