WET News

6 WET NEWS May 2014 A more integrated approach to managing water resources, such as Craig Goch Reservoir in the Elan Valley, is being sought by the Welsh government Water management shake-up in Wales • The Welsh government consults on its plans for a massive shake-up to the water industry in Wales. The Welsh government plans for water metering, sewerage management, and new approaches to drainage and catchment area management. Dean Stiles reports. T he Welsh government has issued a consultation on A Water Strategy for Wales in which it proposes a ra of new measures. The consultation doc- ument, all 79 pages of it, is sur- prisingly clear for a government- written publication. The buzz word is "integrated", appearing 30 times in the consul- tation document. "Key to our approach is the development of a more inte- grated approach to managing water as part of our wider approach to natural resource management. A more integrated approach to the way we manage our water resources will help to promote the coordinated man- agement of water, land and related resources." There is already a detailed planning process for the mainte- nance and development of water resources and supply systems but the Welsh government pro- poses the Asset Management Planning cycle process should be aligned with the area-based approach to natural resource management. This would require sewerage undertakers to develop and maintain a strategic waste- water and sewerage manage- ment plan, and would involve surveys of the ageing sewerage and drainage infrastructure. The consultation document suggests that water meters could be installed in order to reduce waste. The government is to assess and consult on a number of options to metering of all water supplies in Wales in a "phased and proportionate programme". The document says: "We will consult on how we can reduce both domestic and business con- sumption and the role of water metering in this. We will assess the feasibility of a company per capita consumption targets to encourage efficiency. As a mini- mum, we expect all companies to take action to ensure that total leakage forecasts do not rise at any point in the planning period and should not be causing a sup- ply shortfall." Legislative competence On sewerage, the consultation paper states: "Given that the National Assembly for Wales does not have legislative compe- tence for sewerage, we will work with water companies to intro- duce plans for wastewater and sewerage management on a vol- untary basis." The paper points out that much of the sewer network is old – the average age of Dŵr Cymru's sewers is 60 years with some dat- ing back to Victorian times. The Welsh government expects water companies to develop "a strate- gic approach" to managing leak- age. It wants companies to fore- cast a reduction in total leakage during the five-yearly asset man- agement planning cycle. The Welsh government expects water companies to look at introducing innovative technology to help them achieve their goals. The consultation document is all good and worthy stuff but implementation will be complicated by the fact that many of the recommendations are for areas outside the remit of the Welsh government. It does not, for example, have legislative competence for sewer- age. Instead, the Welsh govern- ment will rely on the voluntary co-operation of the water compa- nies. "We also need to ensure that we have the appropriate tools and powers at our disposal to deliver the strategy's objec- tives. I therefore welcome the Silk Commission's recommenda- tions for reforming the constitu- tional position in relation to water so that decisions on water in Wales are a matter for the National Assembly and the Welsh Government," says Alun Davies, minister for Natural Resources and Food. Earlier response An added complication is the overlap between England and Wales for one of Wales' major water service providers, Severn Trent Water. It broadly welcomes an integrated approach but in an earlier response to the Strategic Environmental Assessment Scop- ing Document for the Water Strat- egy for Wales it pointed out that it already collaborates with other stakeholders such as Natural Resources Wales / Cyfoeth Natu- riol Cymru and Dŵr Cymru, and the Wye and Usk Abstraction Management Group. The water companies operat- ing in the region are Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, Dee Valley Water and Severn Trent Water. A spokesman for Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water said: "We welcome the publication of the Welsh Gov- ernment's water strategy and will study it closely over coming weeks before responding to the consultation, whilst also safe- guarding the environment in our care." How much further the three water companies providing Welsh water treatment and sew- age disposal services can be inte- grated, or their approach inte- grated, remains to be seen. The final strategy will be published later in 2014. "Given that the National Assembly for Wales does not have legislative competence for sewerage, we will work with water companies to introduce plans for wastewater and sewerage management on a voluntary basis." A Water Strategy for Wales YOU SAY "We propose a more integrated approach to the management of water, in line with our overarching natural resource management approach. This is the only way that we will be able to address the challenges facing our water resources and maximise benefits for Wales" Alun Davies, Minister for Natural Resources and Food "The predicted increase in intense rainfall events will present even greater challenges to our drainage systems and the way that we manage land. We need a drainage approach that can cope with these challenges and help address the risk of surface water flooding and diffuse pollution." 'A Water Strategy for Wales' NEED TO KNOW • Water meters to be installed to reduce waste in a "phased and proportionate programme" • Water companies to develop a strategic approach to managing leakage forecast with a reduction in total leakage during the five-yearly Asset Management Planning Cycle • Water companies to plan for sewerage management • Water companies to introduce innovative technology to achieve their goals • The final strategy to be published later in 2014 News+ Minister for Natural Resources and Food, Alun Davies, on a recent visit to Dee Valley Water's new Llwyn Onn WTW

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