Senior regional engineers and key influencers are meeting to discuss the urgent measures which must be put in place to tackle the East Midlands water security.
Long periods of drought have decreased groundwater levels severely and investment is required in water storage facilities to ensure this water is collected and stored to replenish water levels as well as being managed more effectively so that it does not inundate water courses and sewers, resulting in the serious flooding that we have witnessed recently.
ICE East Midlands is holding a breakfast briefing, titled Water resources: now and in the future on Friday 12 October at IGEM House, Kegworth at which senior engineers and key regional influencers and decision makers will discuss the issue.
The two key speakers at the event are:
- Matt Crabtree, Water Sector Director – Costain. A member of the ICE’s State of the Nation: Water Steering Group – Matt will outline the recommendations contained in the State of the Nation: Water report
- Neil Corrigall, Regulatory and Business Strategy Manager – Severn Trent Water. Neil will discuss Severn Trent Water’s approach to trading water from areas of plenty to areas of a scarcity. This is a priority for the government and Ofwat.
In its State of the Nation report into the UK’s water security, published this summer, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) rated water security as 4 on a 1-10 scale.
This situation will not improve unless all UK governments work together to provide strategic leadership in water resource management.
ICE’s key recommendations to tackle the problem include a ‘UK Water Security Taskforce’ to deliver an integrated roadmap to water security by spring 2014. If effectively implemented the UK could become water secure by 2025.
To achieve this, ICE makes several recommendations:
- The development of new water storage facilities across the country
- The removal of regulatory barriers that discourage water sharing between neighbouring companies
- Collaborative investment in new infrastructure.
In order to raise the value of water to society ICE is calling for a phased introduction of universal metering, with social tariffs to protect the poorest in society and for smaller but more evenly distributed water storage facilities.
Some of the members present at the meeting will have previously attended consultation events, which provided to the evidence base for the report.
Malcolm Jackson, Regional Director – ICE East Midlands, commented:
“Water security is an issue which affects each one of us, whether in industry or as a consumer – sadly, it’s only at times of drought when the scarcity of our water supply is appreciated.
“Despite a wet summer and recent heavy rain, robust solutions need to be put in place to address the UK’s current water security issues and ICE is currently working with the government to tackle the problem.
“I am pleased that this ICE East Midlands breakfast briefing will bring together many key industry figures to discuss the issue.”