With climate change and a growing population likely to place ever greater strains on vital water resources, a new report released today by water sector regulator Ofwat explores the potential options to help cut demand for water over the next 50 years.

The report, The long term potential for deep reductions in household water demand, looks at what demand for water might be in 2065. It shows that on average, we currently use about 140 litres of water per person per day in England and Wales, up from 85 litres per person in the 1960s.  The report’s findings also reveal that tackling household leaks and using innovative technologies could help to decrease water usage by two thirds – or over one bath per person per day – over the next 50 years. Climate change is going to have a significant but unpredictable impact on the water sector, while projections suggest the UK population could grow by upwards of 10 million people over the next 20 to 30 years.

The main way in which water companies have met rising demand in the past has been through measures including taking more water from the environment and building infrastructure to store it. However, new solutions are now needed to avoid the potential environmental and structural problems of the previous approach. The report says that strong leadership is needed to ensure that water companies, government, regulators, the supply chain, academia, innovators and others work in a concerted and coordinated way.

It is also calling for all domestic properties to be metered to facilitate future savings through customer behaviour, utility services, water saving technologies and further research on tariffs. Other measures include:

• Updating planning rules to require new developments to be water efficient, e.g. through community rainwater harvesting and water reuse.
• Making performance data openly available to encourage and facilitate innovation in services and technologies. Click here to read the report.