SES Water has published its Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP) setting out how it will continue to supply high-quality drinking water for its 750,000 customers between 2025 and 2075.
The plan is focused on making better use of the water available by reducing leakage, on its pipes and from customer-owned pipes, as well as helping customers to use less water. This will reduce the amount the company needs to take from the environment and lower the emissions produced from the energy and chemical-intensive water treatment and distribution process.
The plan reflects customer and stakeholder feedback, as well as Government policy. It also aligns with the regional plan produced by Water Resources South East (WRSE), an alliance of six water companies in the South East, who all operate in an area of serious water stress.
Key planned targets include:
- 2025 – start rolling out smart meters to household and non-household customers
- 2025 – begin planning to slow the flow of water through the River Eden catchment to protect the environment, reduce local flooding and increase the amount of water available for drinking water
- 2026 – transfer of four million litres of surplus water per day to Southern Water (until 2031)
- 2027 – reduce customers’ average water use to 136 litres per person per day from 146 litres in 2024
- 2030 – use new technology to identify which water mains need to be replaced before they leak or burst
- 2032 – reduce household customers’ average water use to 128 litres per person per day
- 2038 – all household customers to have a smart water meter
- 2039 – transfer 15 million litres per day of surplus water to South East Water (until 2049)
- 2040 – increase drought resilience so emergency water use restrictions (such as standpipes) are only needed once every 500 years on average
- 2041 – halve leakage levels from 2019/20 levels
- 2048 – begin work to increase the capacity of Bough Beech Reservoir, if required due to population growth and water demand
- 2049 – start abstracting water from a new source in Chipstead, Surrey
- 2050 – reduce household customers’ average water use to 110 litres per person per day and reduce business water use by 15% on average, from 2019/20 levels
SES Water Wholesale Director, Tom Kelly, said:
“Water is finite and precious. That’s why we plan ahead to balance water supply and demand, while also protecting the environment and providing wider benefits to the communities we serve.
“We considered a wide range of options to develop our plan, evaluating the amount of water each scheme could provide, the financial cost, environmental impacts and wider societal benefits, to find the best-value solution.
“Our plan also allows us to work with neighbouring water companies to make the best use of the water we have across the entire region.”
The plan has been approved by Defra and the first five years will be funded and delivered through the Company’s 2025 to 2030 Business Plan.
It will be reviewed every year and refreshed by 2030 for 2030-2080, alongside the WRSE regional plan for the South East.
You can read the full, technical document via the SES Water website – www.seswater.co.uk/wrmp
