Regulators Give South West Water Six Weeks on Leaks
South West Water has six weeks to give the government and regulators an action plan on leaks. They say its repeated failures put customers at greater risk of losing supplies while parts of its region remain in severe drought.
How much water is lost
The privatised company serves 1.8 million people across the south-west of England. According to the regulators, it has failed to meet targets for cutting leaks and repairing burst pipes for seven years.
It loses 113.5m litres a day from its pipes and infrastructure, the same as 45 Olympic swimming pools. That is 5.7m litres a day more than a year ago. Leakage is 18.5% above forecast. In the words of Ofwat, the Environment Agency and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, writing to the company: "This is not acceptable."
Drought in the same region
The driest April to September in more than a century left reservoirs in some places critically low. Wimbleball, which supplies customers in east Devon, north Devon, Somerset and west Dorset, holds 16% of its capacity. Several smaller reservoirs serving Devon and Cornwall also cause concern.
In Exeter and mid and east Devon, severe drought continues to affect about 325,000 people and thousands of businesses. Their supplies could be cut off regularly in the coming weeks and months, with school closures and economic losses possible. The company has written to households there asking them to use less water.
The wider picture is no better. About 82% of England is still in drought, with severe drought declared in parts of Devon, Cornwall, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex. To end it nationally, the Met Office says, rainfall would have to run at 120% of the typical level for seven months. The National Drought Group was due to meet on Thursday, as the letter became public.
Why leakage is a supply risk
The letter, dated 26 October, says that failing to tackle leakage has reduced confidence that the company can secure supplies. It also says the failure has reduced confidence that the company can avoid emergency abstraction, which means taking extra water from rivers and, the regulators say, would cause environmental damage.
The regulators add that delivering planned leakage cuts is "reputationally important" because the company is asking customers to reduce their own use.
Reactions
Julian Brazil, leader of Devon county council, pointed out that residents were told to save water because of dry weather. He said the company has been warned about leakage for seven years and is still failing, which puts rivers and wildlife at risk and may leave thousands of customers facing restrictions.
Richard Stanbrook, the company's drought programme director, said recent rainfall is helping its water resources but pressure on supplies remains significant. He said sustained rainfall in the right places is needed, and the company is repairing leaks and moving water around its network.
New regional water councils
The warning came as the government announced eight new regional water councils. The councils will give local leaders, customers and businesses a voice on what water companies should prioritise and on investment in water and flood infrastructure. Local leaders have until the end of the year to send in proposals for running them.
Source: the Guardian