Water – it’s not a dry issue.
© Environment Agency ‘dirty man of Europe’. T
Since then, the water companies have invested almost £90 billion in maintaining and improving services for consumers and the environment. Today, for example, the amount of water lost through leaks is down by more than a third since the mid-1990s. In addition, salmon have returned to the River Mersey, once considered one of the most polluted in Europe. All of this has been delivered efficiently too – a litre of tap water, supplied and taken away, costs less than half a penny.
But the world is changing. The water and sewerage sectors face new problems and very different challenges. In the future, climate change may mean we get more droughts and more floods, making it harder to maintain resilient supplies. Our population is growing, putting more pressure on the water we use. Lifestyle changes have increased our appetite for water in our homes, our work places and our place of leisure. The changing social and economic landscape also means we need to reconsider how business operates and how customers are able to afford their water and sewerage bills.
We need sustainable solutions to these problems, which is why our approach to regulation is changing.We need to be flexible in finding new ways of doing things – but also resilient in ensuring the water and sewerage sectors meet the challenges effectively and efficiently.We want sustainable services for consumers now and for future generations.
Water today, water tomorrow To find out more, go to
www.ofwat.gov.uk
he water and sewerage sectors in England andWales have come a long way in the past 22 years. At privatisation, polluted beaches and rivers and neglected infrastructure meant we were seen as the
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