Folkestone & Dover Water

The problem:

• The company operates in an area with limited water resources.  It has no major river or reservoirs to draw on and relies on water from local chalk and gravel beds.  

• Global warming is likely to bring a drier and warmer local climate with reduced rainfall.  A warmer climate is also likely to lead to an increased demand for water.

• Treating and moving water has high energy costs and there is a need to save water and so reduce energy use and cut carbon emissions.  

• The local population is likely to grow by some 20% over the next 25 years and there will also be a need to meet increased demand from businesses in an expanding economy.

The solution:

Encouraging the careful use of water and minimising environmental impacts:

• Introducing metering as a fair and socially responsible way of paying for water.  Metered customers on average reduce water use by 10-15%.  FDWS was the first water company in the country to apply for Water Scarcity Status and the application was approved by Defra in 2006.  This allows the company to introduce compulsory metering and by 2012 nearly all customers will be metered.  Only properties where metering is not technically possible will remain unmetered.

• Introducing a socially responsible stepped tariff with a lower rate for water for essential use and a higher rate for non essential which will encourage the careful use of water.

• Bringing in enhanced billing to allow customers to keep an easy check on water use and offering improved water efficiency advice and services.

• Saving water will allow the company to reduce its energy use and cut carbon emissions.  Customers will be able to save water, save on energy costs and save money.  Saving water and saving energy will help minimise environmental impacts.

Enhancing and developing water resources:

• Further capital investment in existing water sources.

• A comprehensive review of other options including desalination and water reuse.

• Further network investment to allow the more efficient transfer of water and further action to reduce leakage.

• Increasing water imports from neighbouring water companies.

• Working with other companies to bring forward schemes for significant new resources if water savings are not sustained, should the impact of climate change prove more rapid than expected or should problems with existing sources reduce available water.

Portsmouth Water

The Problem

• Population growth of 71,000 (12%) over the next 25 years.

• Rising per capita consumption from existing households due to lower levels of occupancy as a result of demographic change.

• Reducing abstractions to meet environmental needs identified by the Habitats Regulations Review of Consents.

• As a result, a deficit in supplies will occur by 2015 or earlier if our environmental regulator, the Environment Agency requires environmental sustainability reductions sooner.

 
The Solution

A twin-track package of:
 

• The development of a Washwater Recovery Plant at Farlington Water Treatment Works

• A 10% reduction in Leakage

• Beginning a 25 year Compulsory Metering Programme

• Developing new boreholes at Lavant and Brickkiln Water Treatment Works in West Sussex

• Developing an Active Water Efficiency Programme for customers

• Constructing Havant Thicket Winter Storage Reservoir by 2021  

Southern Water

The Problem

• Household demand for water will increase over the next 25 years

• Climate change will decrease the availability of existing supplies over the same period

• Existing and future legislation will also reduce existing supplies across the South East

• The combinations of these factors mean that we will need to invest in water resources over the next 25 years.

• The reduced availability of water from conventional sources will require alternative sources of water to be developed

The Solution

• Universal metering by 2015 to maintain the drive on demand management and to ensure that everyone fairly pays for what they use

• Reduction of company leakage from our target of 92 million litres per day to 76 million litres a day by 2015.

• Increase the capacity of the cross Solent transfer

• New river abstraction on the River Arun

• Transfer winter water from Sussex North to Brighton to help preserve groundwater for summer

• River augmentation schemes on the Rivers Medway & Rother using recycled wastewater

• Augment flows in the upper reaches of the Eastern Yar using recycled wastewater

• Aquifer Storage and Recovery scheme on the Sussex Coast

• Construction of a desalination plant to serve the Sussex Hastings zone

 

South East Water

The Problem

• 25% growth in property numbers to 2030

• Total population is forecast to rise from the current 1.97 million to 2.26 million by 2030.

• Sussex and Kent supply area will have a deficit of available water by 2017.

• Climate change requires additional resources to be developed.

The Solution

• New winter storage reservoir at Clay Hill, near Ringmer, East Sussex, by 2017

• New winter storage reservoir at Broad Oak, near Canterbury, by 2024

• Improve eight existing underground water sources

• Develop five new underground water sources

• Build two new strategic pipelines 

• Metering 90% of customers by 2020

• Reducing leakage

• Adopting customer supply pipes

Three Valleys Water
 
The Problem
 

• 20% growth in property numbers and population forecast to rise by 12% by 2035.
  
• Ongoing pollution threat to groundwater.

• Our customers’ daily demand for water per person is 8% above national average

• Climate change impacts indicate a 5% loss of available water resource by 2035

• Unknown reductions in abstraction licenses to meet environmental targets

• Means that we must maintain a twin track approach to balance supply and demand in the long term.

 
The Solution
 

• Widespread metering of 90% of customers by 2020 coupled with water efficiency advice for customers

• Reducing leakage to meet the targets set by our regulator

• Continue to develop our regional water grid to enable water to be moved around, particularly to our driest area in the east

• Pilot trials to investigate the best way of introducing new ways to pay for water and their effects on demand

• Working with other water companies in the South East to develop new regional water resources schemes required by 2030

Anglian Water

Please visit www.anglianwater.co.uk

 

Sutton and East Surrey

Please visit www.sesw.co.uk