Water Resource Management Plan What You Need to Know
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Water Resource Management Plan What you need to know 1 www.dwrcymru.com Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water is the sixth largest of the ten regulated water and sewerage companies. We supply about 800 million litres of safe, clean drinking water to over three million people every day. But when the weather is hot and dry – or when there has been a thaw after freezing weather which usually causes a big increase in leaks and bursts – the amount of water we produce and supply can be as much as 25% higher. We are the only water company in England and Wales that’s run on a not for profit basis, so any financial surplus is reinvested in our network for everyone’s benefit. We work hard every day to look after your water supply, safeguard homes from sewer flooding, and care for the world around us now – and for the future. Our job is to make sure there is always enough water to supply the reasonable needs of all our customers. But we must also balance this need with the impact our water abstractions have on our rivers which are amongst the very best in the United Kingdom. We have to make sure the balance between the supply and the demand for water from our customers is maintained in a sustainable and affordable way – for both today’s customers and for future generations. Our Water Resources Management Plan looks out 25 years to 2040 and considers what needs to be done now, to ensure that there continues to be a sustainable and affordable balance between the amount of water we take from the environment and the amount of water we need for our daily lives. We are undertaking an in-depth Looking after the most precious shared resource ecological study of the River Usk of all is our most important role – so please get involved. Download a copy of the Executive which will help provide a sustainable Summary of our draft Water Resource Management environment for future generations. Plan and tell us your views at www.dwrcymru.com. 2 www.dwrcymru.com www.dwrcymru.com 3 How your water works Welsh Water’s supply area is split into Where people choose to live is also a 24 Water Resource Zones. A Water big factor. We have high population ResourceZone is the largest area in which densities in our coastal areas in south all water resources can be shared, and and north Wales and we are very heavily customers in these areas receive the same reliant on river regulation schemes to Level of Service from us. supply these customers. Low rainfall in these areas can also coincide with a Most of the water supplied in Wales comes huge population increase during the from our 65 impounding reservoirs. Of these peak tourist season. This can mean a high 20 feed water Into five of our major rivers demand for water, and stretched resources. - the Wye, Usk, Tywi, Eastern Cleddau and the Dee. This water is then taken from the Keeping our promise river downstream for treatment and supply Maintaining water supply to customers is to customers. The remainder comes from essential for public health and supporting a mixture of water supplied directly from the economy. For this reason we believe that a river not supported by a reservoir and a rota cuts and standpipes are unacceptable. small number of groundwater sources for more rural areas. The minimum Level of Service or reliability we aim to deliver to our customers are: Planning ahead It rains a lot in Wales. But just 3% of • To only introduce temporary use bans, rainfall is used for water supply, the rest on average, once in every 20 years is left in our rivers for the environment. This is very different from other parts of • To only apply for drought drought the UK where as much as 50% of rainfall orders/permits, on average, once in is taken for supply and much less is left every 40 years. for the environment. Our draft Water Resource Management Plan Whilst Wales overall receives higher rainfall is built on this promise to secure all our than most parts of the UK, some individual customers a safe and continuous supply areas in our region are much drier than of water. A garden hose uses a massive 500 others. Average rainfall is much lower in litres of water an hour. Install a water areas like Anglesey for example, and this is butt and use free rainwater run-off masked by the extremes of rainfall recorded from your roof to water your garden. in Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons. 4 www.dwrcymru.com www.dwrcymru.com 5 Getting the Reducing the deficit - balance right our options One of the most important calculations Similarly, at the same time make our water We have developed a number of sustainable, for a water company to make is between production and distribution systems more cost effective water supply options including Clwyd Coastal the supply of and the demand for water. resilient so we can move water around easier river source and supply system links, which Dyffryn Conwy Our draft Water Resource Management and more reliably, before any reductions in better use the resource we already have. North Eryri/Ynys Môn Alwen/Dee Plan identifies potential deficit zones – our abstraction licences take place. Lleyn/Harlech surplus BalaBala where demand could exceed supply in We therefore propose that any reductions Blaenau Ffestiniog Barmouth the future. The Plan outlines the steps we in our abstraction licences to meet the Ml/d decit 50 South Meirionydd will take to increase supply in each zone requirements of the Habitats Directive take Tywyn/Aberdyn and effectively manage the demand to place after this work is complete. North Ceredigion get the balance right. We have planned for Pilleth Decit Whitbourne dry years and peak weeks to ensure our Demand Elan/Builth Surplus Hereford CU systems are robust. Demand is forecast to reduce from now Mid&South Ceredigion Llyswen Vowchurch to 2040. This is based on population and 30 Brecon/Portis Supply property development forecasts published 2010 2025 2040 Pembrokeshire Ross on Wye Monmouth Supply availability is forecast to reduce over by the Welsh Government and the relevant Tywi Gower SEWCUS the 25 year planning period. This is due local authorities, reduced leakage, and to the projected impact climate change our estimates of water used by individual will have on the amount of water that is customers, industries and commerce. available for abstraction. It’s also due to the However, things change and we will be North Eryri/Ynys Môn South Meirionydd reductions in the volumes of water Natural working with these organisations to ensure • Develop a new transfer of water from our • Introduce a water efficiency programme, Resources Wales will permit us to abstract we have the most accurate forecasts at all Cwm Dulyn Water Treatment Works into the including the retrofit of household water in order to meet the requirements of the times so as we refresh our plans each year, North Eryri Ynys Môn Water Resource Zone efficiency devices EU Habitats Directive. so we can accommodate any changes the to reduce leakage economy or society require. • Reduce leakage Brecon Portis Welsh Water will ensure that any • Construct a new connection from the Afon • Introduce river regulation from the Usk reductions in the amount we are able to Six Deficit Zones Rhythalt to Cwellyn Water Treatment Works reservoir to support the abstraction at Brecon • Create a link from Penycrug Service take is sensitive to the environment whilst Our forecasts predict that six of our twenty Bala Reservoir to the Aberbran Supply area ensuring that we are able to supply our four Water Resource Zones may move into • Reduce leakage • Reduce leakage customers in a cost effective manner. deficit i.e demand will exceed supply in the future. Tywyn Aberdyfi Pembrokeshire To fairly balance the needs of the • Construct a new abstraction from the Afon • Construct a transfer of water from the environment with those of society and We have looked at a number of cost Dysynni and transfer the water to Penybont Bolton Hill Water Treatment Works to Preseli the economy, we are keen to allow time effective ways of dealing with this issue Water Treatment Works then; Water Treatment Works to complete our ongoing ecological in these areas, including managing water • Construct a new Water Treatment Works • Import water from Tywi Gower Water WRZ monitoring which assesses the impact demand and or the development of new at Penybont or Abergynolwyn to treat the to the Pembrokeshire WRZ of our abstractions. water resources. additional volume of water • Reduce leakage 6 www.dwrcymru.com www.dwrcymru.com 7 Brushing your teeth under a running tap for 2 minutes twice a day wastes Reducing the deficit - 252 litres of water a week - that’s 9 litres every minute. our options We have also looked at ways to better Looking after our environment manage water in these areas – including Dependent upon the size of the deficit reducing the number of leaks and in some areas, these steps may not be promoting water efficiency: enough to resolve the problem. In these cases we will need to find another source Water Efficiency of water or increase the water we take from We encourage all our customers to use an existing source. water wisely. We have looked into a range of options for helping customers save The potential environmental impact water and believe that by implementing of each scheme and the carbon cost of these ideas in key Water Resource Zones each option have been considered when we will be able to save a significant selecting options for resolving potential amount of water.