02 Jul 2026

Image description: The Eiffel tower can be seen in the background of the River Seine. Photo by Grant Van Cleemput on Unsplash   How the system works  Paris operates one of the world’s largest district cooling networks, comprising 120km of underground pipes that distribute chilled water drawn from the Seine to over 600 buildings, including hospitals, schools, museums, […]

02 Jul 2026

Photo description: Water from a tap overflowing into a glass. Image by Ralf Ruppert from Pixabay   Overall compliance remains strong  Ireland’s environmental protection agency (EPA) has published its drinking water quality in public supplies 2025 report, covering performance across the public water network managed by Uisce Éireann. Microbiological compliance reached 99.8% of samples tested, while chemical standards were met in […]

02 Jul 2026

Photo description: View looking down at someone’s hands rinsing a metal cup in a sink. Photo by Laura Ohlman on Unsplash    The rollout and its strategic context  Water companies across England and Wales are committed to fitting approximately half of all homes with a smart meter by 2030, forming a central component of the sector’s demand […]

02 Jul 2026

Image description: A wooden Judge’s gavel against a black back drop. Photo by Sasun Bughdaryan on Unsplash    A new litigation frontier  The LSE Grantham Research Institute’s latest annual review of global climate litigation identifies data centre water consumption and energy sourcing as one of the next major frontiers for climate-related legal action around the world. In 2025 […]

02 Jul 2026

Photo description: hay bales laid in rows on a field. Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash   Scale of the problem  Agriculture remains the single largest source of water pollution in England, adversely affecting around 40% of water bodies nationally and contributing approximately 60% of nitrogen and 28% of phosphorus in rivers in England and Wales. The Environment […]

25 Jun 2026

Image description: Dry, cracked earth. Photo by Mike Erskine on Unsplash   The European Commission has used World Desertification and Drought Day to step up its push on water and drought resilience, framing both as central to the bloc’s economic security and food supply. In a statement marking the day on 17 June, the Commission […]

25 Jun 2026

Image description: A computer circuit board with a central black square, with the letters AI prominent in white. Photo by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash   Ofwat has published its first artificial intelligence adoption plan for the water sector, setting out how AI can be deployed across water and wastewater services. The plan arrives as the regulator […]