UKWIR calls for review of code on water-use restrictions

UK water experts have criticised the rules governing restrictions of water use during drought periods as not reflecting “changes experienced in the water industry since the legislation was updated.” 

In a guidance document on the code of practice for water companies on water use restriction,  research body, UKWIR, counselled the scheduling of reviews as urgent to ensure the code is up to date: “It is critical that reviews are scheduled to ensure the code of practice’s content is representative of contemporary conditions.” And it went on to recommend “strongly,” regular reviews to the code and suggested updates every two years or after a drought event “with the responsibility resting on UKWIR”.

UKWIR gave examples of how current legislation was “out of date” including its failure to reflect  neither market separation nor significant changes in water use. It recommended that water companies and retailers should review and establish agreed approaches to communications during water shortages and drought “to ensure non-household customers are suitably informed and the lines of responsibility are clear.”

UKWIR went on to emphasise the “great benefit’ in updating legislation to give clarity to “enable water companies to to better react to manage and communicate the drought situation and enable stronger controls or restrictions on external discretional water use.” 

It recommended also that future revisions of the the code of practice might explore different approaches to drought mitigation and drought response taken by other countries.” And it advised the water industry to “consider liaising with Waterwise to refresh online professional development training.”

Further recommendations included a project commissioned to “explore the economic evidence required to support the use of and exceptions associated with drought order restrictions.” UKWIR suggested “it may be best to split the code of practice to focus on temporary use bans and have a separate, linked document focusing on drought order restrictions.”