The UK uses 10,210 million litres of drinking water a day, and supplying it will get harder

With the combined effects of climate change, an ever growing population, and new water intensive industries the UK water industry faces more challenges than ever to ensure our water resources are sufficient to meet the needs of homes and businesses.

Supplying water relies on rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and underground aquifers to provide huge volumes of raw water that can be treated to high standards and pumped to customer’s taps.

Keeping the UK supplied with the clean drinking water it needs is a national imperative, and our 25-year water resources management plans set out how companies will rise to the challenge:

• Moving millions of litres of water from wetter to drier areas – major new schemes to transfer water through rivers, canals and new pipelines towards the south and east to tackle water stress using excess water from elsewhere
• Storing more water for drier periods – securing permissions to build major new reservoirs to hold back rainfall making more available for customers and the environment throughout dry periods
• Sustainable abstraction, especially in sensitive areas and at peak times – this will leave more water in rivers and lakes during the summer protecting our environment in periods of drought and extreme temperatures
• Fitting smart water meters for homes and businesses – empowering customers to make financial savings, helping us find leaks more quickly, and reducing the amount of water we need to take from the environment  
• Water efficiency advice – helping customers choose more efficient kitchen appliances or switch to rainwater butts for garden irrigation, saving customers money and protecting the environment

In combination, the solutions in the water resource management plans mean customers will have access to the water they need for decades to come.

As climate change continues to impact the UK, increasing drought risk and increasing temperatures, it is vital we all do our bit to use water wisely.  The UK’s population is expected to grow by an additional 2 million people by the mid-2030s and increasing focus on efficient use of water in homes and businesses will mean more water stays in the environment.

The plans are developed in collaboration with Government, regulators, and customers in each company area.  You can find the plan for your area on your water company’s website.