Thames Water consultation event

Local groups have been invited to a consultation event on shaping your water future in Beddington and asked us to share with local residents who may like to attend.

The event will take place at All Saints Centre, New Road, Mitcham CR4 4JN on Thursday 8^th March 2018.

Agenda

6.30pm-7.00pm         Informal discussions and refreshments

7.00pm-8.00pm         Presentation followed by Question and Answer session

8.00pm-8.30pm         Closing remarks and further discussion

Please RSVP to this event by registering via this link

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FURTHER INFORMATION

• Thames Water Draft Water Resources Management Plan 2019
• Consultation end date 29 April 2019

In the next 25 years we are expecting a significant increase in the number people in our area. With a third more water used today than 30 years ago and energy prices set to rise, we are determined to speak to as many people as possible about our draft water plans and long term strategy.

Our customers are being invited to have their say on how the company should keep up with growing demand for water services at an open event in their area. You will have a face-to-face opportunity to find out more about what happens in your local area, and help influence our plans for the future.

The forum will provide an opportunity to have your say on our draft Water Resource Management Plan and draft Business Plan, and make suggestions on how the company can improve services both now and for future generations.

Topics up for discussion will be wide ranging, and will include how best to provide water and waste services locally, reflecting a growing population, adapting to climate change, water resources, flood risk, customer bills and new technology

Our local water and wastewater specialists will also be on hand to answer questions you may have about your local water treatment works and local sewage works.

The Beddington Local Engagement Forum is one of a series of events taking place across our region throughout February and March, which builds on conversations and engagement held with our customers last year.

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Water is essential for everything we do at home and at work. It’s also essential for a healthy environment and a prosperous economy. It’s our job to provide a reliable supply of safe drinking water to around 10 million household customers and 215,000 businesses in London and across the Thames Valley.

Many people think there is plenty of water in the UK, but the South East of England is one of its driest regions and London is drier than Rome, Dallas and even Sydney. Our area is designated as seriously water stressed by the Environment Agency.

Our water supplies are being stretched further and further as the number of people living in our area increases, coupled with a reduction in the amount of water that we can take from rivers and underground sources, and the impacts of climate change.

Every 5 years we produce a Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP) which sets out how we can provide a reliable and sustainable supply of water to our customers.  We prepare this in line with legal requirements and follow regulatory guidelines.

We face a number of significant and complex challenges in planning future water resources; and new  infrastructure can take a long time to develop, and has a long lifetime.

Our forecasts show that if we do nothing, and continue as we are, there will be a shortfall of over 360 million litres of water a day by 2045 increasing to over 860 Ml/d by 2100. Therefore we have developed our draft plan to cover an 80 year period from 2020 to the end of the century. Taking a long term view is supported by government.

In our draft plan we set out our preferred approach to water resources and why we believe it represents the best solution to the growing pressures on water supplies in our region.

We set out our proposals to further reduce leakage; install more water meters, and give more assistance to our customers to manage their water use. We also outline which water supply schemes will be needed, and explain how our Plan aligns with those of other water companies to provide an overall solution to the water needs of the wider south east.

The plan we have put together is for the long-term, we have not just looked at cost but have developed a “best value” plan that takes account of a wider range of factors including:

• The preferences and priorities of our customers– we talked to over 18,000 customers and have taken their feedback into account in developing our plan
• The need to keep bills affordable for customers, and the fair distribution of investment costs and benefits across current and future generations.
• The potential environmental and social impacts, and opportunities to improve our natural environment

The plan is a detailed technical plan. Over the past 3 years we have engaged extensively with a wide range of stakeholders and their insights and expertise have helped to shape our plan.

Overall we consider that our plan caters for the needs of the rapidly growing region, supporting housing and economic growth whilst protecting and improving the environment, but we want to hear your views. An overview of our draft Plan is attached to this email.

From the 19 February we will also be consulting on our draft 2020 to 2025 Business Plan, which will set out our proposals for how we look after your water and wastewater; how we care for the environment and how we deliver excellent service.

We want to hear your views to help us shape, refine and finalise both our plans.  You can your say on our draft Business Plan and our draft Water Resource Management Plan until the 29 April 2018.