Water Resources East goes independent to plan water for all

Regional multi-sector water planning group, Water Resources East (WRE), last week became an independent not-for-profit limited company.

The new status marked a milestone for the group, founded in 2014 by Anglian Water, and a commitment by east England’s largest water users to manage the region’s water resources together, through an impartial platform .

The founding board members were: Anglian Water, Affinity Water, Cambridge Water, Essex and Suffolk Water, Severn Trent, the National Farmers’ Union, RWE Generation; Lincolnshire County Council; Suffolk Growth Programme Board (on behalf of local authorities in Suffolk); and Norfolk County Council. The board is expected to grow over the next few months as other organisations join the company. It will be supported and advised by a wider network of over 50 different organisations from a diverse group of sectors, including regulators.

The next phase of WRE’s work will focus on the delivery of pilot projects within water-stressed catchments in the region. These pilots will focus on the links between land management and water management and will seek to maximise and account for environmental and natural capital benefits. As part of one set of pilots, land owners will be encouraged to develop multi-sector water storage reservoirs, capturing excess water from winter rainfall and floods. This water could then be used to benefit the whole regional economy.

Subscribers to THE WATER REPORT can read detailed coverage of WRE's new independent status and strategy in the current (June) edition.