Have your say - meeting the south east’s growing water supply challenge
Water is our most precious resource and it’s our responsibility to ensure there is enough for all life.
During the past couple of years we’ve been working closely with our five neighbouring water companies (Affinity Water, Portsmouth Water, SES Water, Southern Water and Thames Water) to devise an emerging plan that seeks to futureproof our drinking water supplies for the next 75 years.
As part of the Water Resources in the South East (WRSE) alliance, it’s the first time we have created a regional plan in this way and therefore welcome your thoughts as your feedback will help shape the direction we take to manage the south east’s water resources going forward.
We’re keen to hear from business groups to ensure we’re meeting the needs of the sector and are asking a range of questions as part of the consultation.
These include:
- We have assessed the future water needs of the other sectors that don’t rely on the public water supply provided by water companies. Do you agree with our assessment? Please explain your answer
- Do you think it is appropriate for Temporary Use Bans and Non-Essential Use Bans that reduce demand for water further during droughts to be used as options in this regional plan?
- Reducing the demand for water through leakage and water efficiency activity contributes to more than half of the total amount of water needed in the first 15 years of the emerging plan, the balance then shifts to include a greater reliance on supply side solutions, particularly in the more challenging future scenarios. Water companies are committed to delivering these reductions, but they are reliant on customers making sustained reductions in their water use over the long-term. Do you think our plan strikes the right balance between demand and supply solutions and the risks associated with delivery of such solutions? Please explain your answer.
Find out below how to read the full plan as well as get involved.
Background
The plan identifies actions that could be needed to avoid a potential one billion litre a day shortfall in water supplies across the south east in the next 15 years – that’s around a fifth of the total water currently provided each day by the six companies. This could rise to 2.6 billion litres a day by 2060.
To protect against this could require investment in the region of £8 billion by 2040, rising to £17 billion by 2060.
This is due to a range of issues including climate change, population growth, increasing resilience to drought, reducing reliance on sensitive water sources, such as chalk streams and replacing them with alternative sources.
The plan also promotes the need for collective action so water is used efficiently across society, whilst we continue to reduce what’s lost through leaks.
Various new water sources and infrastructure projects are outlined, including water transfers which move water around the region, new reservoirs and water reuse schemes.
A unique feature of this plan is that it has ability to adapt depending on how the future unfolds, so if the population doesn’t increase as much as anticipated and not as much drinking water is required, it can adjust accordingly.
What does this mean for South East Water?
The emerging regional plan outlines a wide range of options for the south east which could be used to supply drinking water in the future.
For South East Water specifically, a number are within our supply area and include:
2025 to 2040:
- Reducing water leaks and increasing water efficiency
- Catchment management and nature based schemes which ensure long term quality and quantity of water
- Water reuse schemes along the River Medway at Aylesford, Kent and along the River Ouse Peacehaven, East Sussex
- Water transfers
2040 to 2100:
- Continuing to reduce water leaks and increasing water efficiency
- Additional catchment management and nature based schemes which ensure long term quality and quantity of water
- A new reservoir at Broad Oak near Canterbury, Kent
- Additional water transfers
The options above are amongst a whole host of proposals in the regional plan and we urge you to take a look now and let us know your thoughts.
Although you can provide feedback direct to the WRSE (see below), if you would like to meet with us directly to discuss any of the options within our supply area in more detail, please do get in touch at: [email protected]
Tell us your views
Alongside WRSE, we want to know if we’ve got the building blocks of the plan right, as well as the suggested options.
This is important as the final regional plan will be used to inform our company Water Resources Management Plan.
Once we’ve heard your views on the emerging regional plan it will be further developed into a best value plan encompassing the comments made.
To read all the documents in full and complete the consultation survey, visit the Water Resources South East’s dedicated website.
Alternatively, you can email: [email protected]
The regional consultation closes on 14 March 2022.
Consultation events
To find out more about the regional plan WRSE is hosting a series of webinars which you’re welcome to join:
- 20 January - Launch event – 14:30 to 16:00
- 31 January - East event – 10:00 to 12:00 (focusing on Sussex, Surrey and Kent)
- 1 February – East event – 10:00 to 12:00 (focusing on Hampshire, Berkshire and Surrey)
- 2 February – North event - 10:00 to 12:00 (focusing on London and the Thames Water region)
You can register for all the webinars here [forms.office.com].
Please feel free to register for as many webinars as you’d like.
Given the interconnected overlapping nature of WRSE’s work, you may receive similar emails and invites from WRSE and other water companies, but you only need to register once.
Each session will be recorded and shared on WRSE’s consultation microsite shortly afterwards. To keep up to date, you can sign up for updates here.