The
Environment Agency is encouraging consumers
and businesses in the North West to reduce
their demand for water to help prevent possible
future shortages due to climate change and
population growth.
The Environment Agency
is encouraging consumers and businesses
in the North West to reduce their demand
for water to help prevent possible future
shortages due to climate change and population
growth.
Publishing its Water
Resources Strategy for England and Wales:
Water for People and the Environment, the
Environment Agency has set out measures
to help protect water resources to 2050
and beyond. This includes greater use of
water meters for households, a review of
the structure of the water industry and
ways to reduce both domestic and business
water consumption.
Over the coming months
the Environment Agency will be speaking
to its partners in the North West to devise
a Regional Action Plan, which will provide
a framework for how we implement the Strategy
in our region.
Water supplies in the
North West will come under increasing pressure
in the future. There is an opportunity to
plan well now to ensure that we manage both
increasing demand and protect the environment.
Although in recession, the region’s economy
will recover and continue to grow and the
latest forecasts show that there are likely
to be nearly one million more people living
in the North West by 2035. These factors
will create a greater demand for water in
our region.
In addition to these
pressures, climate change will have an impact
on how much water there is available for
use. Although climate change will lead to
more frequent, heavy downpours and increase
the risk of flooding, overall river flows
in the region may be reduced by between
10 to 15 per cent by 2050 and this could
be as much as 80 per cent by 2050 during
summer months. In the North West the majority
of our water comes from rivers and reservoirs,
which are above ground and more sensitive
to climatic changes.
Water shortages do not
just impact on people and business, but
also affect wetland habitats and wildlife.
About 60 per cent of all water supplied
to homes and businesses in the region comes
from sites that are specially designated
as vulnerable or endangered habitats for
plants, animals and birds. If too much water
is taken from these areas, it could have
a detrimental impact on these plant and
animal species.
“The Environment Agency’s
Regional Director, Tony Dean, said: “Water
is essential for life and vital to our economy.
In the future climate change and population
growth may mean that we won’t always have
enough water to meet the needs of all the
people, businesses and the environment.
We must take this opportunity
to plan for the future and think about how
we can all use water more efficiently. The
Environment Agency is committed to working
with a wide range of organisations in the
region to secure water supplies and protect
the environment for future generations.”
For media enquiries
please contact the press office on
www.environment-agency.gov.uk
Notes to editors
Key facts
Water in the home
• The average Briton uses 148 litres of
water per day, the equivalent of 260 pints;
• If the entire adult population of England
and Wales turned off the tap while brushing
their
teeth, we could save enough water to fill
72 Olympic sized swimming pools;
• Washing a car with a hosepipe can use
more water than an average family uses in
a whole day;
• Households with a water meter generally
use 10 to 15 per cent less water than those
without.
Future pressures
• By 2020, demand for water could rise by
5 per cent (800 million litres a day) –
enough to fill 4.6 million baths;
• By 2050, climate change could reduce the
amount of water available by 10 to 15 per
cent;
• By 2050, average summer river flows in
England and Wales could reduce by as much
as 50 to 80 per cent.
Water and carbon emissions
• 6.3 per cent of UK CO2 emissions are related
to water use and 90 per cent of these are
related to heating water in the home;
• The near-universal metering of households
in England and Wales could reduce greenhouse
gas emissions equivalent to between 27 and
40 per cent of the total UK Carbon Reduction
Commitment target.
• Consumers could save up to £140
per year on energy and water bills by using
hot water more efficiently.
The Environment Agency
has a statutory responsibility for managing
water resources in England and Wales. This
work is directed by our Water Resources
Strategy.
The Water Resources
Strategy can be accessed at: www.environment-agency.gov.uk
