Thames Water has published for consultation its draft Water Resources Management Plan for the next 80 years. The plan, which follows detailed modelling of over 200 options, contains actions including:
Constructing a new reservoir in Oxfordshire in the 2040s.
Taking more water from the River Thames above Teddington Weir in west London from 2030.
A 15% reduction in leakage by 2025, ten years earlier than originally planned.
Installing 1m more smart water meters in homes by 2035.
In the plan, the company grapples with the prospect of 2m more people by 2045 and declining supply from climate change.
Chief executive Steve Robertson (pictured) added: “Our plan aims to meet the growing needs of the wider south east, and we’ve been working with fellow water companies in England and Wales to take a co-ordinated approach to ensure we offer our customers the best possible value solution. We now want to hear what our customers and stakeholders think.”
The consultation runs until 29 April.
On Sunday, a BBC World report put London as number 9 in a list of 11 cities most likely to follow Cape Town’s path in running out of drinking water.