A strategy for sustainable water resources management National Rivers Authority Guardians of the Water Environment 0 8 69 84 © National Rivers Authority 1996 First published February 1996 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or otherwise transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission o f the National Rivers Authority, and from April 1996, the Environment Agency. Designed and produced by Dragonfly Design. Thanks to Tony Long for the photograph of Ogmore Castle. Further copies can be obtained from: Water Resources Section I i National Rivers Authority A s ia n t a e t h m A m g ylc h e d o Cy m r u En v ir o n m e n t A g e n c y W ale s Welsh Region Rivers House GWASANAETH LLYFRGELL A GWYBODAETH CENEDLAETHOL St. M ellons Business Park Cardiff CF3 OLT NATIONAL LIBRARY & INFORMATION SERVICE Tel: (01222) 770088 PRIF SWYDDFA/MAIN OFFICE Fax: (01222) 798055 Plas - yr- Afbn /Rivers House Parc Busnes Llaneirwg/ St Mellons Business Park Heol Fortran/Fortran Road WF 0 2 9 6 1.5K BARCB Llaneirwg/St Mellons Caerdydd/Cardiff CF3 OLT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY V^v\| Background indicate that the percentage o f the population o f the Region relying on their own water supply ranges The NRA Welsh Region launched the consultation from less than 1% in the urban areas o f South Wales, document “Water For Welsh Region” in February to over 20% in parts o f Snowdonia. 1995. Some 1300 copies have been circulated throughout Wales, and further afield. It generated Future needs numerous written responses and substantial media Particular attention has been given to reviewing interest. future water needs, and how these can best be This document managed. Detailed investigation and analysis has been undertaken on all water uses in the Region, This Strategy now builds upon the consultation building on the work carried out for the document and takes account of:- consultation document, and involving the major • the comments made by major abstractors, abstractors and organisations representing water organisations representing water users, planning users. authorities, regulatory agencies and others with an interest in the water resources and water This work has highlighted the following: environment of the Welsh Region. Hydroelectric Power Generation (HEP) - well • recently published information on future over 70 potential sites have been identified through populations and water demands. discussions with HEP developers and Government departments. Based on the installed generating • the latest water industry research and capacity of the realistic potential HEP schemes, development work. 11.5 Megawatts (MW) generating capacity could be • the lessons learnt in Wales, and elsewhere, from developed. A further 8 MW could be generated by the 1995 drought. installing turbines on compensation water releases • recent work on the River Dee yield and the at seven existing reservoir sites. Experience suggests future management of the Dee resource. that only around half o f the river sites will com e to This Regional water resources strategy follows on fruition. from the NRA's national strategy, and forms the Spray Irrigation - if left unregulated, extra demand basis for the sustainable management o f water could be as high as 1.7% per year up to 2001, and resources for a generation. about 1% per year after that. Actual usage may be The initial chapters o f the Strategy set the scene on constrained by restriction on water availability. current water use and its management. Two sections Growth will also be affected by agricultural policy on water use have been significantly revised. The and by technical, market and other factors. Potential first covers the needs o f water power generation. abstractors, and those whose current licence This currently accounts for 72% o f the total licensed restricts abstraction, may therefore need to provide quantity for Welsh Region, and the range of storage facilities, such as on-farm lag(x>ns, in order examples found in the Region is now discussed and to overcome limited available resources. their impact explained. Industry - future trends are particularly difficult to The second covers the provision of private domestic forecast. Research, discussion with industrial supplies. Their importance, particularly in rurkl I abstractors, together with analysis o f past trends, areas, can now be identified through information suggest that future demands are likely to remain at gathered together by the Welsh Office. These data current levels, or to decline still further. ■ Public Water Supply (PWS) - for the Region as a Resource Management covers the careful monitoring whole the “Highest” growth scenario could result in and control of existing resources to enable their an increase in water use by 2021 of 20% above the optimum operation, such as through river 1994 levels. For the “Lowest” growth scenario water regulation, conjunctive use o f sources, re-allocation use will drop initially, but then rise back to current o f existing water resources and effluent recycling. levels by 2021. The range between the High and The demand and resource management measures Low scenarios demonstrates the significant impact described above should adequately satisfy growth in that different basic assumptions make on the need demand. However, it is still prudent to identify for additional water resources. The NRA believes possible schemes which might overcome problems that the Low scenario is the more likely because: identified through the Catchment Management • it incorporates demand management measures Planning process such as: which are considered the minimum necessary in • improvements in the reliability of current areas w here resources are under stress. The supplies, particularly in respect of the lessons of improved demand management measures the 1995 drought. inherent in the forecast are fundamental to good • more efficient and/or more environmentally water resources management. acceptable schemes to replace existing ones. • many of the increases are based on industrial • new additional resources for the benefit of the demand which experience has shown is unlikely Region and beyond. to occur. The Strategy examines a number of schemes which Reviewing demands at a com pany level masks might meet these criteria. These range from on-farm deficits that may occur in local areas. The Strategy lagoons to satisfy spray irrigation demand, addresses these by assessing PWS demands at a local enhancing existing reservoirs for HEP generation, to level and identifying where shortfalls may occur enhancing the refill capability of existing reservoirs during average or peak week abstraction, for both for environmental and water supply benefits. These the High and Low scenario. As an indication this are covered under the headings o f Local Sources process Jias identified only four locations where, Developments, South East Wales Developments, using the Low scenario, average demand will North East Wales Developments, South West Wales outstrip current supply by 2021. Only in one area Developments and the River Dee Regulation will the peak demand exceed peak licence Scheme. The last is likely to be o f particular interest entitlement under the Low scenario by 2021. due to the concerns raised over the inclusion in the Managing and meeting demands consultation document of Llyn Celyn as a possible site for resource development. Considerable work Meeting future needs for water will require the has now been undertaken to assess the current yield combined management of demand and existing of the River Dee, the future demands for its water, water resources. Only when these options have and how these can be managed. These been fully explored and their best use adopted will investigations have shown that the raising o f the new resource developments be considered. Llyn Celyn dam is not a viable option. Demand Management covers such items as: However, there are a number of schemes, such as • Efficient Use of water (through such action as enhancement of the winter refill of the Dee system public education, promotion of water saving storage, and conjunctive use of the Dee with Vyrnwy devices, water byelaws and adoption of best reservoir in the River Severn catchment, which practice methods). could be promoted. These options could, as well as • Reduction of Losses (through appropriate providing some small increase in available yield, leakage and pressure control and through enhance the reliability o f water supplies for domestic metering). abstractors and the environment. These studies are D progressing and will form the basis of a strategy for The NRA’s policies and practices for water resources the management of the River Dee system into the management stem from these three fundamental next century. concepts. Key policies Sustainable developm ent will be achieved through the implementation o f a consistent, fair and The basis for this strategy rests upon three key defensible methodology for the determination of concepts which have been developed and refined by abstraction licence applications. The methodology the NRA. In implementing and building upon this will take account o f the character o f the river and in- document the NRA will have close regard to the river as well as human needs. Where science is following: uncertain, the precautionary principle will be • Sustainable Development: environmental applied, by the use o f conditional abstraction sustainability is a major concern o f the NRA. licences. There must be no long-term systematic There is a great deal that water companies can and deterioration in the water environment due to must do in the field of demand management. water resource development and water use. We Economic levels of leakage must be attained before will achieve this by striking the right balance new resource developments will be licensed. between the needs o f the environment and Companies should implement the recommendations those o f the abstractor.