Water Resources Management Plan

The consultation on our draft Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP) is now closed.

Thank you to all who responded - we are now looking at those responses and addressing them where we can. A full statement of response will be published on the 15 May. If you responded to the consultation with your email we will send you a link but it will also be published on this site. An updated WRMP will also be published in the Summer.

Our WRMP aims to address a significant future shortfall in water resources in our supply area.

Population growth, climate change and the demand for water are putting significant pressure on the local environment and water resources in Affinity Water’s supply area.

Without action – the area Affinity Water supplies faces a possible shortfall of 449 million litres a day by 2050. We want to hear what customers and stakeholders think about our draft plan to help us shape our final plan which we will publish in Autumn 2023.

Every five years, Affinity Water produces a WRMP which addresses these future challenges and provides a roadmap for a reliable, resilient, sustainable, efficient and affordable water supply to customers between 2025 and 2075, whilst taking care of the local environment.

The actions include reducing customer demand, driving leakage down further than ever before, smart metering and significant investment in new infrastructure for new sources of water - working across the water industry to plan and share resources regionally. The plan will also make the region's water supplies more resilient to droughts, which are becoming more frequent due to climate change.

The consultation on our draft Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP) is now closed.

Thank you to all who responded - we are now looking at those responses and addressing them where we can. A full statement of response will be published on the 15 May. If you responded to the consultation with your email we will send you a link but it will also be published on this site. An updated WRMP will also be published in the Summer.

Our WRMP aims to address a significant future shortfall in water resources in our supply area.

Population growth, climate change and the demand for water are putting significant pressure on the local environment and water resources in Affinity Water’s supply area.

Without action – the area Affinity Water supplies faces a possible shortfall of 449 million litres a day by 2050. We want to hear what customers and stakeholders think about our draft plan to help us shape our final plan which we will publish in Autumn 2023.

Every five years, Affinity Water produces a WRMP which addresses these future challenges and provides a roadmap for a reliable, resilient, sustainable, efficient and affordable water supply to customers between 2025 and 2075, whilst taking care of the local environment.

The actions include reducing customer demand, driving leakage down further than ever before, smart metering and significant investment in new infrastructure for new sources of water - working across the water industry to plan and share resources regionally. The plan will also make the region's water supplies more resilient to droughts, which are becoming more frequent due to climate change.

  • The Grand Union Canal - a truly innovative supply option

    supporting image

    The Grand Union Canal (GUC) Strategic Transfer is one of our most innovative Strategic Resource Options (SROs). It utilises existing infrastructure to transfer water from the Midlands, down to our Affinity Water supply area. This transfer will take treated water from Severn Trent’s Minworth site, via a new closed pipeline transfer, to a location on the canal near Atherstone. The transfer will utilise the existing canal structure, passing through the Coventry Canal, the Oxford Canal, and the Grand Union Canal. Water will be abstracted at a location near Leighton Buzzard and stored, before being treated at a new Water Treatment Works onsite, and then transferred to our Affinity Water supply area. The scheme won't impede navigation and will improve the resilience of the canal, with the transfer offering multiple benefits for the existing canal users and owners, the local community and the local environment.

    Our plan is to deliver a first phase of the transfer as soon as possible (ideally by 2031) which could then be increased further between 2040 and 2060 if it is needed.

    Although there will be some minor disruption as the works take place we will work closely with the Canal & River Trust and the local community to deliver wider benefits such as:

    • Improving access and parking
    • Flood alleviation
    • Habitat creation
    • Planting reedbeds
    • Realignment of the river channels connected to the canal
    • Connecting and improving paths

    Doug Hunt (Head of Water Resource Management Planning) strolls along the GUC at Three Locks and tells us more in this podcast about the scheme and why it hits the sweet spot for Affinity Water, between engineering, cost and environment .


Page last updated: 21 Feb 2023, 07:00 AM