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18 | 27TH NOVEMBER - 3RD DECEMBER 2015 | UTILITY WEEK Customers Analysis T he winter weather is worsening and Britain's storms are now deemed strong enough to be given their own names. But for water companies battling floods to protect both their customers and assets it could become more serious still if they are called upon to do even more. As storm Barney battered the south of England last week, Southern Water said it had "heightened its level of awareness and preparation" and would "monitor its pro- gress" to assess its impact in the company's operational area. This was the second storm in a week deemed strong enough to be named by the Met Office, aer storm Abigail load the system. Sewerage companies are responsible for protecting their vital assets – such as pumping stations and treatment works – from being flooded, as well as clear- ing properties affected by sewer flooding. "Sewer flooding is unacceptable and we treat all cases with the highest priority," a spokesman for Thames Water tells Utility Week. "We're constantly monitoring the weather, groundwater levels and our net- work of sewer pipes and pumping stations to reduce the impact of any extreme rainfall." In the frame for flood defence However, Ofwat chief executive Cathryn Ross said last month that water companies are "in the frame" for taking over from the Environ- ment Agency on delivering flood defence schemes. "I'm really conscious that having created a regulatory regime focused on outcomes, it does put water companies in the frame for thinking about things that deliver outcomes that lie beyond the boundaries of the tradi- tional water company," she said at the time. "I think flood defence and flooding issues are one element of that. I can envisage a situation in which water companies could perform useful functions around flood pro- tection and flood defences." Severn Trent Water supports the idea of a debate on water companies' role in flood defences, saying: "Investment in flood defence management is becoming increas- ingly important, but the budgets of local and national government are increasingly under pressure. The question is: could the water sector do more in this area, as we did before 1989? We don't know all the answers, but we think the question is very much worthy of debate." Anglian Water, however, argues that part- nerships with councils can work just as well, without the need for "sweeping reform of ownership and responsibilities". The debate has been reignited by Lord Moynihan, who questioned the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on companies' roles in the co-ordination and Holding back the floods As the weather worsens and the threat of flooding grows, water companies find out whether their year-round efforts have been enough to protect their networks, says Lois Vallely. raged in the northwest of the country over the previous weekend. Water and sewerage companies invest millions of pounds every year in strength- ening their networks against flooding. They also contribute to schemes in partnership with local councils and work to raise aware- ness in communities about the work they do in this field. But if Ofwat gets its way, com- panies could soon be called upon to do even more. During extreme weather, drains and sew- ers oen have significantly more water flow- ing through them, and when there is a large amount of rainfall in a short time it can over- FLOOD AND COASTAL EROSION RISK MANAGEMENT IN ENGLAND INVESTMENT PROGRAMME 2015 TO 2021 Source: Environment Agency