Environment Agency publishes its vision for building resilient water supplies

The Environment Agency has published ‘Building resilient water supplies’, which sets out how the environmental regulator “will lead on creating a national framework for water resources to improve long-term resilience to drought and enhance the water environment.

It builds on a joint letter in August 2018 to water companies from Defra, the EA, Ofwat and the DWI. The letter set out what is needed to build resilient water supplies, including:

• how government and regulators are joining up to give clear direction to water companies
• how water companies and other large water users should plan regionally to identify the best solutions for a region and the nation as a whole – they should not just plan for their own company boundaries
• how government and regulators will provide a responsive regulatory approach – this will support regional and national planning by dealing with issues and barriers as they arise