Consultation opens on Anglian Water’s proposals for securing the region’s water supply
A public consultation is now open for customers to share their views on Anglian Water’s draft Water Resources Management Plan 2024, which sets out the strategy for securing the region’s water supply.
The East of England is the driest area in the country, with a third less rainfall than anywhere else, and has the highest level of population growth in the UK.
Geoff Darch, of Anglian Water, said: “Ensuring we have enough fresh water for the future is the biggest challenge we face. Our draft plan sets out how we make the best use of the water we already have but also what measures we need to put in place now to become more resilient to a growing population and a changing climate.
“Our plan builds on our industry-leading demand management strategy to ensure that we borrow no more water from the environment despite growth, whilst our plans for new reservoirs and pipeline connections will enable us to reduce abstraction from more sensitive environments. New supplies will also ensure we have sufficient water to cope with the increase in droughts expected with climate change.”
“Resilient, secure water resources are vital to communities, businesses and the environment alike, which is why we want our customers to have their say to ensure that our plans reflect the region’s priorities.”
The draft plan sets out the ways Anglian Water aims to secure water supplies, including building a pipeline to bring water into the region from Lincolnshire, the development of two reservoirs in the Fens and South Lincolnshire, fitting 91 per cent of homes with smart meters, and attempting to fix 50 per cent of leaks.
Mr Darch added: “Continuing to manage water demand in the future will only be possible by working with our customers on saving as much water as possible, stopping more leaks than ever before, and making the most of the opportunities associated with our proposed reservoirs. That’s what our ambitious WRMP focusses on.”
Visit www.anglianwater.co.uk/wrmp before Wednesday, March 29 to respond.
