Water companies should be able to withstand one-in-500-year droughts

Water resource management plans should offer resilience against once in 500-year drought events, according to proposed amendments to planning guidance.

The guidelines from Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales and Ofwat are also being updated to include the expectation that natural capital should be used within water resource plans in England and Wales.

Water companies are urged to take regional plans into account when developing company strategy against drought events. The guidelines advise companies to develop a plan that will “reflect the regional plan unless there is clear justification for not doing so”.

Furthermore, the updated guidance said companies should plan to reduce abstraction in places where it causes environmental damage.

A recent report on supply and demand by the Public Accounts Committee warned that resources could be in short supply within 20 years and raised concerns about unsustainable abstraction.

Water companies are required to publish a water resource management plan every five years that explains how the company will ensure supplies of water are secure while protecting and enhancing the environment.

The update to the guidance stipulates that water companies’ plans should deliver net biodiversity and environmental gains using a natural capital approach. The message to increase natural capital in planning echoes calls for the water sector to incorporate more nature-based solutions in business plans to play a part in the green recovery.

It also requests that companies consider the impact of prolonged periods of dry weather on resources, as experienced in 2018 and this year.

Companies in England are instructed to be prepared for a one-in-500-years drought event that does not require an emergency drought order. The guideline said this level of resilience should be in place by 2039 and will allow some flexibility if costs far outweigh benefits.

Recent years have seen an increased occurrence of severe weather events as a result of climate change, which together with population growth, is placing greater demand on water supplies.

The guidelines, which are open to consultation until 18 September, ask resource management to take account of changes to water use behaviour as has been experienced during the coronavirus outbreak. Other relevant influences the guidance recommends to take into consideration include housing development and population changes, metering programmes and the roll-out of smart meters, improved water efficiency standards, water labelling and the changing climate.

The changes, which were proposed last year, would also see the inclusion of regional water resource planning within companies’ plans – a move that the EA said would ensure consistency.