Purpose
The purpose of this Policy Position Statement (PPS) is to
identify the procedures that apply to the planning, protection,
conservation and allocation of water resources in England and
Wales. Issues are discussed and proposals made to improve the
processes so that a more holistic and sustainable approach is taken
which is open and transparent, and encourages public and community
involvement and debate.
CIWEM calls for:
- Government, regulators, water companies and other stakeholders
to work together to implement a major programme of public awareness
campaigns to encourage a better understanding of the intrinsic
value of water resources and methods of water saving.
- Increased engagement between water customers, companies and
regulators to understand how to better work together on making
water use more sustainable.
- Climate change research that specifically addresses the impacts
on water resources during drought events and thereby greatly
reduces the uncertainty in water resources planning.
- Prevention of abstraction that has a damaging effect on the
environment, by taking remedial action as quickly as possible
within the context of a workable and fair funding mechanism.
- Commitment to the twin-track approach that assesses demand
management and new resource options on an equal long run economic
basis, taking full cost and benefit account of environmental and
social effects.
- Compulsory household metering in areas where water resources
are under stress to the point of full cost/benefit justification,
and as soon as practical, alongside improved tariffs and measures
to protect those on low incomes.
- Water efficiency plans that go significantly beyond Ofwat's
minimum base service requirements, to the point of full
cost/benefit justification, and moving towards Defra's "Future
Water" strategy aim of average per capita consumption in a normal
year of 130 litres per head per day.
- Leakage reduction plans that take full account of environmental
costs and benefits, and fully achieve sustainable economic
levels as quickly as possible.
- Water companies to further investigate sharing water resources
and developing new resources in partnership with others, taking
account of all costs and benefits, including those to customers and
the environment.
- An integrated process for the periodic review of water prices,
River Basin Management Plans and Water Resources Management Plans
to enable a single, holistic approach for water resources that
fully incorporates the needs of customers and the environment, as
well as costs.
- Greater clarity in the water resources planning process
regarding the responsibilities of, in particular the Environment
Agency, Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra),
Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), the Welsh
Assembly Government and water companies.
- Water companies to be made statutory consultees on development
plans and planning proposals so that there is a formal interface
with governments and planning authorities.
- The Environment Agency to examine the water supply/demand
balance at national and regional levels, using scenario-based
long-term planning, looking at least 50 years into the future and
taking into account the effects of climate change and population
trends.
The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management
(CIWEM) is the leading professional body for the people who plan,
protect and care for the environment and its resources, providing
educational opportunities, independent information to the public
and advice to government. Members in 96 countries include
scientists, engineers, ecologists and students.
Definitions
'Water resources' are defined here as all naturally occurring
and artificially created water bodies for different uses according
to purpose.
'Water resources planning' is defined here as the process by which
existing water resources are assessed and future water
resource needs identified and developed for whatever purpose (e.g.
abstraction, transfers, in-river needs etc.)
Context
Water resources are the essence of all life and have been a
critical factor in the development of our environment, societies,
communities and industries throughout time. Effective planning and
management of water resources is essential now and in the future if
sustainable development is to be ensured. There are major
challenges ahead including: providing adequate water supplies for
the projected large growth in population and housing, taking action
to make water abstraction more sustainable and compliant with EU
legislation, and adapating to and mitigating the effects of climate
change which potentially could be very substantial.
Water resources management in England and Wales is governed
primarily by the water abstraction and impoundment licensing system
(Scotland and Northern Ireland have different regulatory systems).
This system was first introduced by the Water Resources Act 1963
and is presently set out mainly in the Water Resources Act 1991,
although the Environment Act 1995 and the Water Industry Act 1991
also contain important provisions. The Water Act 2003 made changes
to the way the abstraction licensing regime works in England and
Wales and will bring previously unregulated abstractions (such as
navigation, dewatering, irrigation other than spray) under
licensing control. Also, it has made revisions to the primary
duties and powers of the regulators of the water industry and the
water environment.
Water companies have a statutory duty to provide household and
non-household customers with a reliable supply of water for
domestic and business purposes. They must also plan to ensure that
they are able to meet the demands that are likely to arise in the
future. The Water Act 2003 introduced statutory provisons for water
companies to prepare water resources management plans every 5
years. There is a requirement for public consultation on the draft
plans so that they are more transparent and give stakeholders the
opportunity to contribute to their development.
The need to protect the environment is a vital consideration in
the use of existing water resources and in the development of new
resources. With this in mind legislation, notably the
Wildlife and Countryside Act 1991 (as amended by the Countryside
and Rights of Way Act 2000) and the Conservation (Natural Habitats
etc.) Regulations 1994, provide protection to Sites of Special
Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and implement the EC Habitats Directive
of 1992 (Special Areas of Conservation) and the EC Birds
Directive (Special Protection Areas). The EU Water Framework
Directive, which was published in December 2000, sets a more
holistic approach to the management of water resources from both
the environmental and the economic perspective. The Natural
Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 introduced a wider
biodiversity duty for all involved, including water companies.
The drought across much of Southern England during 2004-06 led
to the establishment of the Water Savings Group. The Group brought
together key government departments and water industry
organisations to collaborate on improving the framework for water
efficiency in England. The overarching goal was to reduce per
capita consumption in households, and to undertake a concerted
package of measures to achieve this common goal. The WSG
supported the definition of areas of water stress, the introduction
of regulations to permit compulsory metering in areas of serious
water stress, the development of the evidence base for water
efficiency measures, the setting water efficiency targets for water
companies, the introduction of mandatory standards for water
efficiency in new homes, and changes to Building Regulations. CIWEM
is disappointed that the WSG has been disbanded and the consequent
lessening of concerted focus on water efficiency.
In 2008, Defra published the government's national water strategy
entitled "Future Water", which describes the actions completed and
proposed in the future; it also defined the Government's ambition
that average per capita consumption in a normal year be reduced to
130 litres per person-day by the year 2030.
Regulation of water resources planning in
England and Wales
The Environment Agency administers the water abstraction and
impoundment licensing system, and has a general duty to secure the
efficient and proper use of water resources in England and Wales.
The Environment Agency also administers the discharge consent
system and other controls on point and diffuse sources of pollution
through which the quality of both surface water and groundwater
resources is largely protected. The statutory nature conservation
agencies (Natural England and the Countryside Council for Wales)
are responsible for maintaining and enhancing SSSIs, European
sites, landscape and delivery of wider biodiversity. The Agency is
responsible for implementation of the Water Framework Directive and
produces a range of strategies including its National Water
Strategy. A range of other environmental organisations
and stakeholders take an active interest in water resources
planning as it affects their concerns. For example, British
Waterways undertake water resources planning to meet the demands of
maintaining navigation across the nation's 2,200 mile waterway
network.
The statutory water undertakers in England and Wales each have
the duty to maintain and develop an efficient and economical system
of water supply in their areas of appointment. They now have a
statutory duty to prepare, every 5 years, a water resources
management plan showing how it will maintain an adequate balance
between supply and demand over the next 25-years. The first plans
were published in 2008 (in draft form, for consultation) and in
2009 (in revised form, taking account of representations received).
The Environment Agency produces guidance on the information to be
included in the plans and reviews their quality and robustness. The
Draft Water Resources Management Plans must be subjected to public
consultation, which has enabled a much more open and transparent
water resources planning process.
The Water Services Regulation Authority (Ofwat) provides the
economic regulation of those water undertakers and has a duty to
ensure that water companies provide domestic and business customers
with a good quality service that is good value for money. Every 5
years Ofwat undertakes the price review for the water industry.
They request detailed business plans from water companies of the
investment and operational requirements, and determine the price
limits that water companies may charge their customers. The
business plans include proposals to maintain the water
supply-demand balance, derived from each water company's water
resources management plan. The latest price review took place in
2009 (with draft determinations being made in July, and final
determinations in November), with the latter determining the
investment schemes to be undertaken on water resources and demand
management over the 5 years from 2010 and beyond.
The Secretary of State or, in Wales, the Welsh Assembly
Government, is also responsible for the issue of planning policy
guidance notes (PPGs), which set the overall context for the
regional spatial strategies (RSS) that, in their turn, influence
local development plans. Both also determine planning appeals
and have the power to call in for their own determination
particularly controversial planning applications. 'Planning'
encompasses not only housing and industrial development but also
new infrastructure development such as reservoir or aqueduct
construction.
Key Issues facing current and future
water resources planning in England and Wales
CIWEM supports the many excellent improvements in water
resources planning have occurred in recent years, such as:-
- The introduction of public and stakeholder consultation on the
development of water resources management plans.
- The greater focus on demand management through customer
metering and water efficiency. The work of the Water Savings Group
has contributed substantially to this, and the water companies have
proposed significant demand-side measures in the latest water
resources management plans.
- The progress made by the Environment Agency in reviewing
consents where abstractions are adversely affecting the
environment.
However, CIWEM believes there are further challenges that also
need to be addressed outlined as follows:-
- Protecting the environment: further action may need to be taken
where water use from existing water resources has a detrimental
impact on the water environment either due to the effects of
abstraction, or by 'poor quality' effluent returns and diffuse
pollution. The Institution supports the 'polluter pays'
principle and measures taken to ensure polluters take
responsibility for their actions and restore the natural
environment.
- The Water Framework Directive: implementation of this
wide-ranging Directive is a challenge that will only succeed if it
is recognised by regulators, the public and all other stakeholders
as important. The outcome will have a significant impact on the
future quality and quantity of water available for abstractors and
as such, an implementation time plan and stakeholder engagement
process is urgently required.
- Investment planning: achieving a holistic and sustainable
approach to water resource planning requires that the development
of River Basin Management Plans (under the Water Framework
Directive), water resources management plans and business plans for
price reviews be linked instead of being separate. In particular,
the timetables should be integrated to enable consistent plans to
be produced.
- Sustainability Reductions: changes to existing licences
to reduce the effect of abstraction on the environment is an
important mechanism to achieve long terms goals for sustainability
and bio-diversity but the cost-benefit and funding for these
changes needs to be clear. In the case of water company licences,
it is essential that the Environment Agency and Ofwat agree a joint
approach to associated expenditure.
- Climate change: the work of the UK Climate Impacts Programme
(UKCIP) suggests that future summers could become hotter and drier,
while winters will become warmer and wetter, particularly in the
south and east of England. It is possible that climate change will
have severe effects on surface water flows and groundwater levels,
and hence on aquatic ecology, and also upon the demand for water by
people and the environment. However, there is extremely large
variability in the forecasts of the impacts. Climate change
accordingly introduces a source of considerable risk and
uncertainty into water resources planning. It bears upon all
aspects of the supply-demand balance, and requires careful analysis
of the risks involved, and of the means of dealing with them,
alongside those from other sources. It also demands
consideration of the levels of service to which security of supply
can be maintained, if unacceptable environmental impacts are to be
avoided. Targeted research to support effective drought
planning and water planning under climate change is urgently
needed, to provide better information on what is potentially the
biggest risk to water supply reliability in the future.
- Carbon targets: The water industry is a significant energy user
and carbon emitter, and whole life carbon accounting will need to
become increasingly important in water resource plans and
development of new resources.
- Demographic changes: major house-building programmes over the
next 20 years are proposed by the Government. Also, large increases
in population and continuing migration towards south-east England
are expected. A particular example is the projected increase in
housing and population in south-east England where the Government's
requirement for new housing to be provided in that region (DCLG's
sustainable housing initiative) will place even greater strain on
already stretched water resources and sewerage infrastructure.
- Higher standards of living: as customers invest more of their
income in their homes and gardens, they may increasingly expect to
have an uninterrupted water supply that meets all of their needs,
regardless of whether those needs might be viewed as
"non-essential" by water resource planners. Demand management
strategies are required that minimise these effects and work
towards the Government's aspiration to reduce average per capita
consumption in a normal year to 130 litres per
person-day. There is a need for all quarters of the
water industry to promote awareness of the value of water, and of
the environmental consequences of high consumption in general, and
in times of shortage in particular.
- Demand management: the twin-track approach to water resource
planning (water conservation together with new resources) is
supported by CIWEM. Demand management measures, including leakage
control, have been implemented with considerable success over the
past 10 years. Meanwhile, there are demographic trends towards the
need for more water (for example regional growth in southeast
England) and climate change is affecting demands and resource
availability. It should be recognised that further water resource
development will be necessary in some cases. While significant
progress has already been made in reducing the use of water in
commercial and industrial plant, considerable further potential for
reducing non-household consumption remains. However,
increasing emphasis is needed on the long-term sustainability
benefits of demand management within a robust cost-benefit
framework that properly rates the (variable) value of water. There
is a need for further collaborative policies and studies by
regulators and water companies to enable successful implementation
of significant further demand management.
- Household metering: the extension of household metering results
in more customers having direct incentives to conserve water. This
is of particular importance for areas of water stress. Household
metering is therefore an important enabler for long-term
sustainability, particularly in combination with: smarter meters
that record more details of consumption patterns, improved tariffs
to discourage unnecessary water use, and more informative bills to
show customers how they can save water and money. CIWEM believes
that compulsory household metering is required in areas of water
stress as quickly and as practicable, wherever economic, to
maximise the incentives for customers to implement water saving
behaviours and measures. Also more research studies are required to
improve our understanding of the most effective approaches.
- Water efficiency: there have been important improvements in the
evidence base for water efficiency and the standards and targets to
be achieved by water companies and developers. These efforts need
to be sustained. The main further challenge is how best to
influence customers to do more to conserve water. This needs to be
achieved by a range of initiatives, including major national
campaigns to raise the awareness of the true value of water and how
to save water. Incentivisation through metering etc. (see above) is
critical, as well as establishing widespread appliance labelling,
and water efficiency training for plumbers and others who choose
the appliances that are fitted in the home.
- Leakage: Whilst it is not technically viable, or indeed
economically sound, to achieve zero leakage, more needs to be done
by some water companies to understand the full benefits as well as
costs of leakage reduction, and to achieve economic levels as
quickly as possible. The cost-benefit and funding for delivery of
leakage reduction needs to be clear so it is essential that the
Environment Agency and Ofwat agree a joint approach to such
investment.
- Supply-side options: As climate change, environmental
restoration and other pressures drive the need for more demand
savings and more resources, raising dams to store more winter
rainfall would be advantageous. The infrastructure is already
there, and significant extra storage can often be gained cheaply
and with limited environmental impact. This has been done at
Ladybower and is proposed for Bewl. Treated effluent can be
returned further up the river to augment resources. Much treated
effluent is now discharged to sea and is lost, whereas it could be
treated further and returned to inland water courses. This
can be particularly helpful when it supports the minimum flow of
the watercourse, thus allowing extra abstraction further upstream,
as Anglian Water have proposed for the Rutland water scheme.
Alternatively it can be diluted and pumped to a reservoir, as has
been done at the Langford scheme in Essex. Canals can be used to
transfer water between catchments, and back pumping the "uphill"
locks as has been studied for the Oxford canal to transfer water to
the water stressed Thames catchment. These would be cheap to
construct and operate but the maximum flow rate during the day
would be limited by barge speed, thus limiting transfer capacity.
New reservoirs, whilst storing winter runoff, do have large
embedded carbon costs. Desalination and effluent reuse where
reverse osmosis is required, are both high energy users and the
extra emissions should be carefully considered before proposing
them.
- "Other water use: More attention should be given to planning
for other water needs (such as agriculture and navigation),
particularly in the context of potential climate change. At
present, water resource planning concentrates almost entirely on
public water supplies, mainly for domestic consumption. There is a
need for increased awareness of the need for and benefits of other
water uses, and how best to drive forward efficiency and optimise
water use within these sectors. There should be planning on a
national and regional scale for meeting all future demands for
water, not only public water supply."
- Roles: the roles, responsibilities and potential conflicts
between the Regulators (Environment Agency, Ofwat, Defra) need to
be exposed and resolved in this debate, in particular the conflict
regarding the funding and promotion of demand management
measures. Whilst many demand management measures can
contribute to the long-term sustainable use of water resources, in
present economic terms they are often less cost-effective than the
alternative of developing new water resources.
- Planning process: The planning process, which gives rise to
regional, county and local development plans, needs to consider
water-related issues at the pre-planning stage and to develop a
holistic and sustainable development process. Regional planning
bodies and water undertakers need to work in harmony to ensure that
investment in water related infrastructure and operations is timely
and meets the needs of society and of the environment. Water
companies should become statutory consultees on planning proposals
so there is a formal interface with planning authorities.
- Economic situation: The current economic downturn should be
regarded as an opportunity to take a step back and re-evaluate. We
would do well to remember to take full account of the needs
of the environment when the economy improves, and ensure that we do
not return to unsustainable growth at all costs.
October 2009
Note: CIWEM Policy Position Statements (PPSs) represent the
Institution's views on issues at a particular point in time.
It is accepted that situations change as research provides new
evidence. It should be understood, therefore, that CIWEM PPSs
are under constant review, and that previously held views may alter
and lead to revised PPS's.
