‘Southern Water is set to launch a pioneering integrated water cycle management programme (IWCM), according to its annual report for 2015-16.
Via the IWCM the water company will develop collaborative partnerships with a range of industries, such as agriculture and tourism, in order to look holistically at all the factors influencing water supply, demand and wastewater disposal. According to Southern Water, it is only by working with partners in this way that the company can really start to make solid plans for the future, even beyond 2020. The IWCM is among a range of innovative solutions flagged up in the report which the utility is developing to build greater levels of resilience into its services – for example water re-use and using waste to generate energy.
Southern Water has also examined thousands of future drought scenarios to help create realistic plans – the company’s expertise in this area has been critical to the development of a National Water Resources Framework, which will inform national planning for future water resource needs across the country. The water company has also established a group that is looking to develop a single water resource management plan for the region, enabling it to take a holistic look at growth in the region and identify solutions that increase the resilience of the service while protecting the environment.’