34 | Our draft Water Resources Management Plan: Overview and consultation

Conclusions and invitation to comment

A safe and reliable water supply is essential, and is valued by our customers. It is also fundamental to the long-term health of the British economy. Although our performance in sourcing and supplying water is meeting our customers needs, the drought in early 2012 showed it remains vulnerable to extended periods of low rainfall. Forecasts show a growing deficit over the next 25 years between the demand for water and the volume we can supply. Our calculations include headroom, which makes some allowance for uncertainty. However, there are further uncertainties that the current Guidelines do not allow us to include in our plans. These could seriously limit our ability to produce the volume of water required in the future. We have evaluated all possible supply and demand options and then compared the ways in which they could be combined, to arrive at our preferred Plan. We have then tested this Plan to see the degree to which it might withstand uncontrollable outside influences, such as population changes and climate change.

Our preferred Plan is to progress in the short term with fixing leaks, installing water meters and encouraging customers to use less water. Looking ahead, we see the need for a long-term supply solution, not just for our region but for the South-East as a whole. This opinion is reinforced by the work of the WRSE group. On balance, we think the three main potential solutions are increased storage, regional transfers and wastewater re-use, each of which has benefits and drawbacks. All three would take several years to plan and implement. As a result, we believe there is a window of about five years in which to decide on a solution. We recommend that the Government and water companies work together to investigate these three long-term supply solutions by 2020 if we are to secure the water supplies so vital to our region and the whole of the UK in the future.

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Thank you for taking the time to read this document. The public consultation on our draft Water Resources Management Plan runs for 12 weeks until 23 July, and we welcome your views. If you have any technical queries you would like clarification on prior to submitting your response please let us know by emailing wrmp14@thameswater.co.uk.

How you can take part in our consultation Our draft Water Resources Management Plan is published on our website www.thameswater.co.uk/haveyoursay and a paper copy will be available to view in our main office in Reading. To book an appointment to view the paper copy please email wrmp14@thameswater.co.uk or telephone Lesley Tait on 07747 644780. Consultees can submit a representation on our draft Plan by one of the following methods: Provide comments via our independently facilitated consultation website www.thameswater.co.uk/ haveyoursay. These comments will be forwarded to the Secretary of State. Send a written representation to the Secretary of State at Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Water Resources Management Plan Consultation 3rd Floor Nobel House 17 Smith Square LONDON SW1P 3JR Email a written representation to the Secretary of State at water.resources@defra.gsi.gov.uk.

Next steps The closing date for receipt of representations is 23 July 2013. Responses received after this date will not be considered as part of this process. We will publish a Statement of Response by the end of October 2013, within 26 weeks of the start of the public consultation. The Statement of Response will respond to representations received, explain our consideration of these and detail changes made to the Plan as a result. The Statement will be sent to everyone who has responded to this consultation and also published on our website www.thameswater.co.uk/haveyoursay. A paper copy will also be available to view in Thames Water offices in Reading. We are consulting on our draft Business Plan in conjunction with this public consultation. Comments raised on water resource matters from the draft Business Plan consultation will also be included in our Statement of Response.