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Utility Week 26th January 2018

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20 | 26TH JANUARY - 1ST FEBRUARY 2018 | UTILITY WEEK Operations & Assets Analysis L ower than average rainfall in recent months has forced Southern Water to apply for a drought permit to refill one of its reservoirs. It may be the first water company to do so but it won't be the last if the rainfall in South East England doesn't increase during the rest of this winter. The British weather's famous unpre- dictability is starting to hit another level altogether. In recent years the country has encountered increasingly extreme weather conditions with floods and droughts alike becoming more commonplace. With far too much rain and far too little perfectly capable of affecting different parts of the country at the same time, it's no wonder that the British weather can turn out to be such a fascinating topic of conversation. While the national pastime generally greets downpours with gloomy tutting, the water companies, which rely on winter rain- fall to replenish vital resources, are currently eager for sustained wet weather. Without above average levels of rainfall this winter, some areas of South East Eng- land could face a drought this summer. A number of areas in the South East experi- enced a particularly dry winter last year, and this winter has got off to another dry start. As a result, reservoir and groundwa- ter levels have remained low in parts of the region. Representative group Water UK says that water companies in some areas are now "taking action" to help reduce the possibility of restrictions in the spring. "Naturally, the water resources picture across the South East is varied, as it reflects differing geographical areas and sources of water, but all companies will continue to work closely with the Environment Agency and the Met Office to monitor the situa- tion over the coming months," says a Water UK spokesperson. Precautions Water levels at Bewl Water reservoir fell below 33 per cent of its maximum capacity of 31,000 million litres, causing Southern Water to act. As a "precautionary" measure, the company applied to the Environment Agency on 5 January for a drought permit to pump water into Bewl – the largest stretch of open water in the region. It is the first time Southern has had to apply for a drought per- mit since 2012. On 17 January – the day Southern's appli- cation was approved – the reservoir reached 52.5 per cent full. The water company says it aims to increase Bewl's water level to 75 per cent by 1 April. Speaking to Utility Week while the com- pany was still waiting for a decision on its application, Ian McAulay, chief executive of Southern Water, said: "It's a complex envi- ronment. You can get drought and you can get flooding at exactly the same time. These events are becoming more common. The really good thing for me is people are getting together and making sure we get the right message out there. We are taking things for- ward and putting them much more under the banner of resilience – because it absolutely is resilience." McAulay describes Southern's move as "the right thing to do", adding: "It's precau- tionary. It's about trying to take every step we can, working together to safeguard sup- plies to customers in the summer but also to make sure we man age the environment." The company, though, "won't just be looking at this as a short-term solution to the problem", he says. "We'll be looking at what we can learn from it and considering how it will inform our planning for future years. We will also be exploring if there are things we can do in terms of strengthening our networks. "Rather than dealing with drought, we are dealing with resilience, and drought and flooding are two of its subsets. With these events, rather than look at them in isolation we should be looking at them as part of the equation. I'm pleased with the concerted effort and collaboration which has come about because of this." Greater flexibility Southern Water says the permit will give it "greater flexibility" to take water from the River Medway and River Teise and pump it into the reservoir to help boost its water level ahead of spring and summer. The Environment Agency says that in determining Southern's application for a drought permit it had considered the very low rainfall, the impact this has had on water supplies, and the responses to the public consultation. Area director Julie Foley says: "The Environment Agency has to bal- ance the water needs of people, businesses and wildlife, so we have carefully consid- ered Southern Water's application. We have decided to grant this temporary change to the existing licence, helping the company to refill the reservoir at a time of year when there will be less impact on the environment. We will carefully monitor any effects and take action if needed to ensure the environ- ment is protected." Ofwat says that during periods of drought it expects each water company to follow its operational drought plan and to ensure that its customers receive the levels of service they expect. Each water company has a "duty to man- age its water resources resiliently", Ofwat senior director John Russell tells Utility Week. "This means thinking long term about chal- lenges such as a growing population and cli- mate change, cutting down on leakage, and promoting good practices around sustain- able water usage." Other affected companies Although Southern Water is the only com- pany apply for a drought permit so far this year, it is not the only one in need of above average levels of rainfall in the coming months. SES Water and Affinity Water are also hoping for a wet winter. Following a dry winter in 2016-17, Affin- ity says its groundwater resources remained below average for the whole of last year. Over the past three months, below average rain- fall has meant that groundwater supplies are now low. Even with the wet December, the com- pany says that recharge of the aquifers was, in some areas, only 24 per cent of the long- term average. It says rainfall will need to be Drought threat mounts Unless rains falls hard on South East England this winter, drought will unavoidably follow this summer. Katey Pigden looks at how companies are guarding against water supplies running dry.

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