All water companies are continuing with the £555 million worth of investment on further water resource schemes which it has pledged to deliver between 2005 - 2010.

This includes investigating new reservoir options, developing desalination plants, as well as demand management initiatives such as metering and recycling of wastewater for drinking water supplies.

We are also expanding key water treatment works to help process more water, and laying new strategic water mains to further develop the regional water grid. This helps us move water more easily around our supply area to where it is needed most.

What about long term future water supplies?

All water companies plan their water resources 25 years in advance.

This 25-year-plan is under constant review and ensures we can continue to meet our clear obligations to deliver safe, clean drinking water to all our customers.

It also takes into account factors such as the proposed house building in the south east, increased water usage and climate change.

We are working with the Environment Agency to decide the most sustainable options for providing the extra water which is needed to meet future demand.

This identifies how we can:

• manage customer demand for water and;
• make better use of existing resources and identify new resources, such as reservoirs, to meet demand for water.

Investigations to date have shown that, on their own, the existing water resources in the south east, combined with measures to manage customer demand, are not enough to deliver the extra water we need in the future.

A number of water companies are therefore investigating the possibility of building new reservoirs. These would be able to store winter rainfall that would otherwise go out to sea, so it can be used when needed. These are:

• A new reservoir at Broad Oak, Kent (Mid Kent Water)
• Enlarging Bewl Reservoir on the Kent/Sussex border (Southern Water)
• A new reservoir at Clay Hill, East Sussex (South East Water)
• A new reservoir at Havant Thicket, Hampshire (Portsmouth Water)
• A new reservoir at Abingdon, Oxfordshire (Thames Water).

To find out what each water company is doing to plan future water supplies.