THAMES Water is now set to go ahead with its 50-year plan for resource management after gaining government approval.
The 50-year plans include proposals to find and fix leaks, with the company committing to more than halving leakage from both its pipes and customers’ pipes by 2050.
Thames Water has now secured government approval of the plan.
In the plans, Thames Water laid out commitments to reducing daily water use to 110 litres per person by 2050, with current water use in the area at around 140 litres per person, though it has described this aim as “very challenging.”
Proposals also include a new river abstraction on the River Thames close to Teddington Weir, due to be completed in 2033, to combat drought and supported by water recycling.
There is to be a new reservoir in Oxfordshire, dubbed the South East Strategic Reservoir Option (SESRO), with a completion date of 2040.
Plans for the reservoir have been upscaled, increasing the proposed size of the reservoir from 100 million cubic metres to 150 millions cubic metres.
This, they say, will ensure the continued and resilient provision of sustainable water.
Thames Water forecasts that it will need an additional 1 billion litres of water every day, enough to fill approximately 400 Olympic sized swimming pools, for its customers by 2075, in order to combat a predicted drinking water shortfall of 2.8 billion litres a day.
Leakage, water demand reduction, and temporary drought measures will make up around 80% of the forecast shortfall in water supply.
Chris Weston, CEO of Thames Water, said: “I welcome the Secretary of State’s approval of our plan, which is a vital step as we work to secure future water supply for millions of people across the South East.
“In delivering this plan we will invest in new world-class infrastructure projects, continue to drive down leakage and reduce demand for water. In turn this will significantly reduce our reliance on groundwater sources that draw from chalk streams, protecting the local environment.”
Thames Water worked alongside Water Resources South East (WRSE) and its neighbouring water companies to create its plan, which goes beyond its boundary, protecting water resources right across the region.
Chris Murray, Independent Chair at Water Resources South East, said: “Our aim is to secure the region’s water supplies and improve the environment for the future. The government’s support of this plan is a welcome step as we work
to meet the challenges ahead, including ensuring sustainable levels of abstraction from rivers and streams, supplying water to a rising population and addressing climate change, which are already placing our region’s water resources under pressure.”
Thames Water is now due to set out its formal response to consultations early next year, following the publication of its final Water Resource Management Plan in October.
