If reservoirs alone or tackling leakage won't save us from water scarcity & with flood risk on the rise, we need an overarching National Rainwater Strategy to inform water management in developments.
Rainwater reuse & SuDS.
The benefits would be big. More: www.ewsc.org.uk/project-repo...

Will there be drought this year and if so, what lessons from 2022 were learned?
It's certainly dry so far this year compared to many previous drought years.
We'll likely need 2012-esque wet early summer to pull back from the brink.
📢Blog / position here: www.ciwem.org/news/managin...

2) In 2022 it was only really July that saw rainfall anomalies approaching as outrageously extreme as this March's. The heat then led to big spikes in demand which exacerbated things. This April's is likely to be pretty dry too.
www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/cli...

4) It must be hoped that the Water Commission has the wisdom to recognise these climate-water sector nexus issues & that Govt is waiting for this endorsement to move. @richardbenwell.bsky.social.

Measures like Managing Rainwater Where it Falls could be a great start.
www.ewsc.org.uk/project-repo...

(4/8) Major water infrastructure needed:
- 9 new reservoirs (+1 expansion)
- 9 desalination plants
- 8 major water recycling schemes
- 5 major water transfer schemes

(3/8) Alongside cleaner water we need enough water.

Facing a near-5 billion litre/day shortage by 2050, in some parts of the country half of this is to restore sustainable river flows (environmental destination).

Low flows exacerbate the impacts of pollution.

(1/4) Amongst understandable anger at latest #sewage overflow data, govt's messaging on investment to clean up is consistently misleading.

Government didn't "secure" investment, and "private sector" points to the financing mechanism, not who really pays.

It's laid out here: afreshwaterfuture.org/a-fresh-wate...

12/ Evidence from a 4000 person anonymous survey shows that public sentiment around these is positive, including on rainwater harvesting. So there shouldn’t be any blockers there.

11/ However, the research shows that there is a £20bn growth dividend associated with this gap bridging: Making these new homes ‘water smart’ would enable this new development to take place and government’s ambitions to be achieved sustainably (from a water perspective).

8/ This has a cost – and it’s big. A combination of Land Value Uplift, Construction Value and Agglomeration. Total is £25bn over 5 years. 61,600 new homes in growth areas unable to be built.

6/ And those reservoirs – one in the Cambridgeshire Fens and the other near Abingdon, Oxfordshire – won’t come on line until around 2036 and 2039 respectively (and only a small amount of the £7.9bn is for them).

4/ Govt has upped housing targets for local authorities to meet its 1.5m target. Water resources plans are based on existing local plans – and housing targets. That means, in some water stressed parts of the country, there’s no additional water available for those extra homes.

Several of our members, who work either in the water industry or in PFAS remediation, last year recommended the following management measures as a minimum.

www.ciwem.org/policy-repor...

This week, @timfarron.bsky.social spoke about those who work for water companies, the EA and Ofwat:

"I want those people to know, and to hear, that we really value them. They are a blessing to us. They are not the problem; the system is."

Thank you.

www.parallelparliament.co.uk/r/mp/tim-far...

If there weren’t enough reviews in the water sector for you (spending - today, Corry, Cunliffe) the House of Commons EFRA Committee has launched one too.

committees.parliament.uk/committee/52...

Here is what Ofwat say about what water bills payers will be getting for the extra £££

www.ofwat.gov.uk/regulated-co...

Yesterday in a Westminster Hall debate, @emmahardymp.bsky.social professed *love*.

Love for natural flood management and (by extension?) SuDS - sustainable drainage systems.

A wonderful thing to hear from a Minister and looking forward to seeing that relationship blossom. tinyurl.com/32588v5p