Across the UK, issues such as pollution, scarcity, and ageing infrastructure demand innovative solutions to how we manage our water. While governments, regulators, and companies play a critical role, better citizen engagement could significantly change and improve water management. By bringing people together, using technology and fostering new ways of collaboration, we can build more sustainable, transparent and effective water systems.
Why citizen engagement in water management matters
For too long, water management has been seen as the responsibility of experts, with limited input from the public. Yet, communities experience firsthand the impact of flooding, pollution, and water shortages – often noticing problems before they appear in official reports or traditional ways of capturing data.
Empowering people to contribute ideas, data, and decision-making power can bridge the gap between public concerns on the one hand and regulatory action and water management policies on the other. Whether it’s monitoring water quality, reducing consumption, or holding companies accountable, citizen participation is key to creating fairer, more effective policies and routes to action.
What’s possible? Four future opportunities
Here are four ways we can use citizen engagement to change water regulation and management:
1. Participatory budgeting for water management
Imagine a system where citizens have a direct say in how public water funds are spent. Inspired by initiatives like Eau de Paris’ Participatory Budget, this model would allow communities to propose and vote on water-related projects, such as installing rainwater harvesting systems, restoring local rivers, or improving wastewater treatment.
By allocating a portion of the water budget to community-driven initiatives, participatory budgeting puts decision-making power in the hands of those who experience water challenges firsthand.
Why it matters: It democratises water governance, funds locally relevant solutions, and builds trust in water management institutions.
2. A network of local water citizen science ambassadors
Imagine having trained community ambassadors in every catchment area across the country who act as a bridge between regulators and local communities – drawing on the learning from initiatives like Otters and the Angling Trust Water Quality Monitoring Network. These ambassadors could coordinate citizen science, capturing local data on water quality, leaks or floods, report water management issues, and ensure local concerns are heard at the national level.
Why it matters: This would bring water regulation closer to people’s everyday lives, providing real-time, place-based insights to improve decision-making.
3. Digital Water-Saving Hubs
Communities across the world are testing water-saving techniques, but the lessons they learn often stay local. Initiatives like Acting4Water and Otters are helping to address these issues. A digital water-saving hub could allow communities to share insights, track water use, and learn from each other’s successes.
For example, people could report on the effectiveness of new conservation methods, compare water-saving technologies, or participate in gamified challenges to encourage behaviour change.
Why it matters: A shared platform would make local knowledge accessible, inspire action, and help scale up effective water-saving techniques.
4. Water consumer panels
What if communities had a direct say in how their water companies are run? Water consumer panels could provide a formal mechanism for citizens to hold water companies accountable – with the ability to demand transparency.
These panels could review performance, track environmental impact, and push for fairer water pricing, ensuring companies serve the public interest, not just shareholders – similar to the residents’ data panel that Camden Council set up to ensure they handle data ethically.
Why it matters: Panels would shift power to consumers, making water governance more democratic and transparent.
The future of water management is collaborative
Water belongs to everyone – so its management should be inclusive, transparent, and participatory. By using citizen science and other digital tools to involve the public, we can reshape the way water is regulated and managed, ensuring that communities are not just informed but actively involved in decisions that affect their future
We have developed a research brief that sets out how citizen science could help address some of the challenges of sustainable water management and regulation. The brief provides some key opportunities and future directions for citizen science in water management and regulation, that might be useful for regulators and other water sector stakeholders as they consider how to tackle the complex current challenges of water management and regulation in the UK.
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This research brief was developed as part of a wider discovery research project funded by Ofwat, and delivered by Nesta's Centre for Collective Intelligence. The project explores opportunities for public engagement and collective intelligence in UK water management. The information presented in this document does not necessarily reflect the views of Ofwat.
