Water firms launch £500million plan for reservoirs as climate change advances
Water firms have unveiled plans to build vast reservoirs and use canals to transfer supplies in response to . Many are also planning to step up the recycling of sewage water so it can be pumped back into the network to keep taps running in times of drought. The situation is so serious that a scheme for a desalination plant to treat sea water on the south coast is also being considered the sort of measure used by desert states. The moves comes against the background of climate change, which is predicted to create hotter, drier summers with associated droughts and wetter winters. Figures out this week suggest the number of countries seeing temperatures above a scorching 50C (122F) is rising and the number of days when this figure is breached has almost doubled since 1980. The industry regulator, Ofwat, has set aside 500million to allow water companies explore a series of schemes to help maintain supplies in future decades. These are focused on capturing and storing more water during the winter and then creating grids, using canals and pipelines, to transfer supplies to areas at risk of drought. Schemes include a vast reservoir in Oxfordshire, south of Abingdon, which would serve the capital and Midlands. The size has not been decided, however one of the original plans suggested it would cover the equivalent of 2,500 football pitches, making for the biggest stretch of open water in southern England. It would be about half the size of Windermere and sit behind huge embankments, taller than electricity pylons. It is not yet clear what buildings or land could be affected because the exact size has not yet been confirmed. Thames Water has stated that a key risk in the plan is to 'produce a robust compulsory acquisition strategy' and 'ensure purchase of all property can be justified as being essential for the project'. A compulsory purchase order would have to be authorised by the Secretary of State under the Water Industry Act 1991 and Water Resources Act 1991. Elsewhere, East Anglia would get a Fenland reservoir, created either to the east or west of the Ouse Washes, serving Cambridge and the surrounding areas. There would be another new reservoir in South Lincolnshire, which would store water sourced from the Witham and Trent rivers. Other major schemes include transferring water from the Severn to the Thames via the Grand Union Canal or a pipeline. The canal would also be used to transfer water from treatment works in the Midlands to customers in Hertfordshire and London. There are plans to improve the Vyrnwy Aqueduct, which takes a water supply from Lake Vyrnwy in North Wales, into England. There are several schemes to transfer water between areas, such as the east Midlands and East Anglia; the Thames region to southern counties, such as Hampshire; and across the West Country and South West. Thames Water is looking at a series of schemes to treat and reuse effluent gathered from sewage works. The effluent would go through an Advanced Water Recycling Plant and then flushed into the Thames before later being abstracted from the river to be treated again and pumped into the drinking water system. Southern Water is investigating the construction of a desalination plant on the shores of Southampton Water to remove salt from seawater, which Ofwat is considering backing despite concerns raised by environment campaigners. The regulator said it is important to 'encourage the water sector to find long-term solutions to make sure the taps can keep running in England and Wales'. It added: 'Changes to weather patterns because of climate change mean that rainfall distribution is becoming less predictable and consistent across the country. 'The shift to hotter drier summers and warmer wetter winters will affect overall water availability. To help confront this, Ofwat provided almost 500m of funding for water companies to investigate and develop strategic solutions to this challenge.' The programme is being overseen by a body called RAPID - the Regulators Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development - which includes Ofwat, the Environment Agency and the Drinking Water Inspectorate. It is supported by the Consumer Council for Water, Natural England and Natural Resources Wales. RAPID managing director Paul Hickey said: 'Making sure the water sector is prepared and planning for our changing climate is essential. 'We have to find new and sustainable ways to keep the taps running. We will continue to collaborate to find the right solutions so the water sector delivers in the face of the climate emergency.'