Meeting water supply needs - sustainably

Miranda Davis

27th April 2006

East of England Biodiversity Forum

&

EEDA

Essex & Suffolk Supply Areas

How to Balance Supply and Demand

Forecast future demand• population change, housing, industry,

customer behaviours

Assess Reliable Yields• Quality and quantity reviews, Environmental

studies, licence performance

Twin Track Approach• Constrain demand• Source new supplies

Challenges for Water Resource Planning in Essex

• One of the driest regions of the UK, prone to drought • Increased demand for water due to new

developments, increasing population and changing demographics

• No potential for traditional new resource development within Essex, as no intrinsic water available

• Major uncertainties posed by climate change, time limited licences, environmental drivers and sustainable abstraction

Abberton Reservoir 32% - November 1997

Demand Management

Water Efficiency• Specific initiatives for homes• Industry leaders on the promotion of

water efficiency initiatives

Leakage Management• Significant reduction over last 8 years;

reached the ‘Economic Level’ (ELL)

Metering• Meter penetration in Essex currently 32%

Water Efficiency History

• Feb 1996 New Duty to promote• 1997 Watersmart, leading to 10,000 audits pa• 1998-2000 Water Efficient New Homes Project• 1999 Water Forum • Schools projects, waterbutts, hospitals etc• Research project on maximum savings achievable in

new homes (technology + behaviour)• Continued programme of audits and projects• Water in Sustainable Communities conference April

2005

Leakage Management

60

65

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85

90

95

100

92/9

3

93/9

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95/9

6

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8

98/9

9

99/0

0

00/0

1

01/0

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02/0

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03/0

4

04/0

5

05/0

6

06/0

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07/0

8

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9

09/1

0

LE

AK

AG

E (

Ml/d

)

Actualleakage

Leakagetargets

Economiclevel

Trends in Consumption

120

130

140

150

160

170

180

1994/95 1995/96 1996/97 1997/98 1998/99 1999/00 2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05

Pe

r C

ap

ita

Co

ns

um

pti

on

(P

CC

) (l

/hd

/d)

pcc measured pcc unmeasured Linear (pcc measured) Linear (pcc unmeasured)

Unmeasured PCC

Measured PCC

Langford Recycling Scheme

Brookend STW

LangfordRecyclingScheme Langford

WTW

Sea

River Chelmer

Effluent Pipeline

Discharge

Pipe 3 km

OutfallStructure

RecyclingInlet Works

HanningfieldWTW

Hanningfield Reservoir

River Chelmer

WTW Abstraction

River Blackwater

Beeleigh WeirEffluent PipeOutfall

The ‘Abberton Scheme’

2000 onwards

Recognised in 2000 that the three schemes that had been investigated since 1992 were effectively inter-related elements of the same scheme :

1. Variation of the Denver/Blackdyke Licences

2. Upgrade of the Transfer Route (EOETS)

3. Raising of Abberton Reservoir and increased storage

Thank You