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Hilary Benn announces decisions on water company plans

   

INFORMATION BULLETIN

Ref: 180/09
Date: 3 August 2009

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn, today announced his decisions on the next steps for the English water companies’ water resources management plans.

For the first time, water companies have been required to prepare and maintain statutory water resources management plans which set out how  each water company will manage its water resources to ensure a sustainable supply and demand balance over the next 25 years.

All 21 English water companies consulted on their plans last summer. The Secretary of State has now considered  these draft plans, the consultation responses and the water companies’ statements in reaction to those. 

Ten of the companies will now be able to finalise their plans for publication:

  • Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water;
  • Bristol Water;
  • Veolia Water Southeast Limited (previously Folkestone and Dover Water Ltd);
  • Southern Water;
  • South Staffordshire Water;
  • South West Water;
  • Sutton and East Surrey Water;
  • Veolia Water East Limited (previously Tendring Hundred Water Services Ltd);
  • United Utilities; and
  • Yorkshire Water.

A further eight have been asked to provide some additional information in support of their proposal before the Secretary of State reaches a decision. They are:

  • Anglian Water;
  • Cambridge Water;
  • Cholderton and District Water;
  • Essex and Suffolk Water;
  • Northumbrian Water;
  • Severn Trent Water;
  • Veolia Water Three Valleys (previously Three Valleys Water plc); and
  • Wessex Water.

The Secretary of State has concluded that the plans prepared by Thames Water, South East Water and Portsmouth Water should be given further consideration in public. For that reason he has called for a public inquiry into Thames Water’s and South East Water’s plans and a public hearing on Portsmouth Water’s plan.

Notes to editors

  1. Water companies have a statutory duty to maintain adequate supplies of wholesome water. The preparation and maintenance of water resources management plans became a statutory requirement for the first time in April 2007 under the Water Industry Act 1991 as amended by the Water Act 2003. The content of plans and the processes to be followed are set out in the Water Resource Management Plan Regulations and Directions, but this is the first time water companies, stakeholders or Government have had to follow the rules.

  2. The plans look ahead 25 years and describe how each company aims to secure a sustainable supply-demand balance for the public water supply. They include projections of future demand for water, and how water companies aim to meet this demand. Each plan considers the need for any new water supply options (e.g. reservoirs), in parallel to assessing proposed demand side measures (including more efficient use of water, increased metering and leakage control).

  3. The statutory plans must take into account the implications of climate change in their supply and demand forecasts and include an assessment of the greenhouse gas emissions for each water resource supply option. In providing their forecasts, water companies are required to use the most up-to-date information available on housing numbers and population forecasts for their supply area, provided in the Government’s Regional Spatial Strategies and the relevant Local Development Plan.

Further information

End

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Page published: 3 August 2009