Thames Water has published a £31.9bn, 25-year plan to address the challenges of population growth and climate change to wastewater infrastructure across London and the Thames Valley.
In keeping with its two new operating areas, bespoke plans have been developed for each of London and Thames Valley that reflect the differences in characteristics of the regions, future challenges and customer and stakeholder preferences for each region:
for London, the Drainage and Wastewater Management Plan (DWMP) prioritises nature-based infrastructure such as rain gardens, swales and water butts as well as wetland creation and river restoration – it aims to deliver sustainable drainage systems to over 7,000 hectares of land in London – the equivalent of 50 Hyde Parks; and
for Thames Valley, the focus is on removing unwanted flow such as from misconnected plumbing, groundwater infiltration and surface water drainage. It prioritises areas of highly sensitive watercourses, including chalk streams.
Alongside this, around a third of the investment (£10.9bn) will be spent on storm overflow control.
Thames said partnership working with local authorities, communities, and customers will be key to implementing both long-term plans. The DWMP will seek partnership funding to ease the bill impact on water customers.
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