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Most of England is poised to be classified as water stressed

by Karma Loveday

Seven additional water company areas could be marked as water stressed – and therefore able to implement compulsory metering – under plans from the Environment Agency (EA).


The EA is consulting on how it determines water stress in England and, following its preliminary update on 2013 classifications, is calling for responses on plans to identify Severn Trent Water, South Staffordshire Water, Wessex Water, Portsmouth Water, Cambridge Water, the Bournemouth area of South West Water and the Isles of Scilly as water stressed.


The purpose of updating the designations is to inform which water companies must consider new options to balance supply and demand as part of their next Water Resources Management Plans. This includes evaluating the option of compulsory water metering with the aim of reducing demand.

The reassessment used data from water companies and the National Framework for Water Resources, and considered:

  • a long-term view of water availability to 2050;

  • environmental needs, including chalk streams.

  • impacts of climate change and population growth;

  • the impact of a 1:500 level of resilience in our water supplies; and

  • planned water efficiency and leakage improvements.

Each company has been determined as either in serious water stress, or not seriously water stressed. The seven new proposals are in addition to the seven existing companies in serious water stress: Anglian, Affinity, Essex and Suffolk, South East, SES, Southern and Thames.

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The consultation runs for four weeks until 11 March. The environment secretary will formally determine areas of water stress later this year.


• The EA is also consulting on a new policy paper, How water companies plan for dry weather and drought. This sets out what water companies are expected to include in their drought plans and guidance, including on drought triggers, demand management actions, supply management actions, extreme drought management actions, communications, environmental assessment, monitoring and mitigation, and identifying when a drought ends.


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