The Environment Agency has published analysis of the water resources management plan annual review submissions from water companies across England for the period April 2023 to March 2024.

Credit: Tom Fisk

According to the Agency, this reporting year’s wet weather has provided respite for the industry following the widespread drought conditions in 2022. Rainfall for the 12-month period was classed as either notably high or exceptionally high across all hydrological areas in England.

Key findings

• Leakage has reduced slightly but remains too high, with 19% of water put into supply being lost as leakage.
• There were no operational drought-related supply issues in 2023-2024, but some water companies have still reported that they do not have enough water available in some areas to meet demands if there had been a drought.
• The amount of water put into supply by water companies in 2023-2024 was more than the Agency would expect to be needed, given the weather conditions. This is putting unnecessary pressure on the environment.
• Some water companies are behind on their programmes to install water meters, with per capita consumption higher than expected.
• Temporary losses of supply (outage) increased last year but are in line with what the Agency would expect to be reported.
• There have been delivery challenges of WRMP19 schemes, resulting in less surplus water available across many areas.

The Agency has called on companies to begin early preparation for the next price review period beginning in 2025-2026 to help ensure successful delivery of the updated WRMP24s. They should also prepare for the step change in delivery of new supply infrastructure, a continued and enhanced focus on leakage reduction and effective demand management and rolling out smart metering.