Southern to consult on its water resources plan, as environment secretary signs others off

Southern Water is to re-consult on its plans to balance water supply and environmental protection over the coming 50 years, in the face of population growth and climate change.

The company will open a public consultation on its new draft Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP) on Wednesday 11 September. The plan considers needs until 2075 and includes a core pathway for the first decade that outlines the actions needed irrespective of the future, and then a series of alternative options depending on how demand changes.

Features of Southern’s new dWRMP include: 

• Four water recycling schemes by 2035.

• Pipelines to transfer water from new sources and move it around the network.

• Sensors, AI and new water mains, to reduce leakage.

• Plans to cut daily average dry year water use to 110 litres per person by 2045 (equivalent to 100 litres per person in a normal year).

• A targeted 9% reduction in business water use by 2038. 

The consultation runs until 4 December. 

Meanwhile, environment secretary Steve Reed approved the WRMPs of other water companies in the south east, subject to final updates. These included Thames Water, whose plan features two major projects – the SESRO reservoir in Oxfordshire and a water recycling project in Teddington, West London – and Affinity Water, whose plan features the Grand Union Canal Transfer. These companies will publish their final plans in October.