Water Resources North plans for surplus supplies

Water resources in the north of England are predicted to hit a surplus of 231 megalitres per day (Ml/d) by 2050 as the region prepares to support drier parts of England.

Water Resources North (WReN) had set out potential transfer options in its emerging plan to manage water in the area while supporting other regions facing significant deficits.

But the group, which includes Hartlepool, Northumbrian and Yorkshire water companies, said that to be in a position of surplus, the region will need enhanced leakage detection and a repair programme together with a reduction in personal water use to 125 litres daily.

Last month, the National Water Resources Framework said England was facing a more dire water scarcity situation than was calculated in 2020 and urgent work was required to avoid shortages this century.

Collaboration

WReN worked with the regional water resources groups in the west, east, south east and south west to understand supply and demand needs across the country.

From this work, WReN said other regions’ current plans have not identified a need for transfers from the WReN region to their own.

However, an existing transfer from Severn Trent into south Yorkshire could be partially or fully lost due to water needing to be retained in the west. WReN identified the replacement of this supply as a significant driver for short to medium term investment needs. The group said it would address this potential loss through improved demand management and leakage reduction.

WReN said there will be surpluses across the north, except in Yorkshire which is expected to see a deficit of 1.2Ml a day in the 2020s. Its plan said the shortfall can be filled by reducing leakage by 50%. This ambition on leakage is a sector-wide commitment along with lowering per capita consumption (PCC) to 110l/day.

Water transfers

No exports from the WReN region have been chosen as preferred options in other regions’ water resource management plans at this stage. Nevertheless, WReN has continued to explore possibilities around transfers. These include an option from Yorkshire Water (near Rotherham) to Severn Trent (south east Sheffield) which is technically feasible, but dependent on additional investment to ensure a secure supply is available.

The group identified three more technically feasible inter-region opportunities supplied from Kielder reservoir, but noted the availability of surplus water may be impacted by climate change. The option for a bi-directional link between Yorkshire and Anglian is still being considered but WReN said its feasibility needs more investigation.

A recent study undertaken by the University of Manchester, on behalf of the Regulators Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Developments (RAPID), concluded that interregional transfers originating in the north would not be cost-effective due to the significant distances between Kielder and the areas that need water.