Water in the UK – rights and responsibilities

Claire Ashton

What do we use water for?

• Domestic purposes (personal hygiene, cooking, cleaning)

• UK industry and services• UK agriculture• “Virtual water” in imported goods (62% of UK total

water use (WWF 2012))

How much water do we use?

Five-minute shower

Bath

Flushing toilet

Dishwasher

Washing machine

Eating a tomato

Eating an apple

Drinking a cup of coffee

Eating a hamburger

40

80

13

65

10-25

70

8

280

2400

[statistics from Ofwat, Uswitch and RuSource]

Activity Litres

How much water do we use?

• Only 38% of the UK's total water use comes from its own resources; the rest depends on the water systems of other countries, some of which are already facing serious shortages (WWF 2012).

• Average household water use for washing and drinking in the UK is about 150 litres a person daily, but we consume about 30 times as much in "virtual water", used in the production of imported food and textiles.

Overview of UK water supply systemAbstraction

Treatment

Surface water

Groundwater

Supply

Service reservoir

Discussion questions

• How do we balance environmental issues with supply security (reduce leakage, build new reservoirs, desalination)?

• How do we reduce our use of “virtual water”?• Is domestic water a right or should we pay for

what we use (metering)?• Should we move to a dual supply system of

drinking water and grey water?