The Drinking Water Inspectorate, Ofwat and the Environment Agency have launched ‘StreamLine’ – a new joint service to improve advice and slash response times for water innovators.

The new collaborative service, will function as a one stop shop, making it easier for business and innovators to obtain informal regulatory advice and help them navigate regulations and get the advice they need when developing new goods and services. Innovation is vital to tacking the challenges, such as climate change, to secure reliable water services, safe drinking water and a healthy water environment.

Before StreamLine, water innovators would need to contact each of the regulators in turn if they had a question. Now they can do this in one place: slashing response times from over 60 days to contact all three regulators in turn, to less than 20 days to get co-ordinated advice from all three regulators.

Speaking about the launch, Deputy Chief Inspector of the Drinking Water Inspectorate, Nicholas Adjei said: “Our legislation, regulations and guidance are there to protect people, drinking water and the environment. But we know they can be complex for new businesses and innovators to navigate and enter the market. Streamline will help all three regulators provide a better service to water innovators and support innovation.”

John Russell, Senior Director, Ofwat said:”StreamLine is now open for any innovators in the UK and internationally to use. As well as providing a better service to innovators, it will enable all three regulators to work together collaboratively and share intelligence on how to make it easier for innovators to navigate regulation and remove unnecessary barriers. This will encourage more innovation to help secure the water services, drinking water and water environment for the future”.

Richard Thompson, Deputy Director, Environment and Business at the Environment Agency said: “We need to make sure future generations have enough water. StreamLine will help all three regulators work together to support more innovations to improve drinking water, water services and the water environment – while still continuing to protect people, business and the environment”.

The new StreamLine service was made possible because of a £170,000 grant from the Regulators’ Pioneer Fund operated by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.