Water scarcity is real and it’s happening on our doorstep
Before and during the 2022 drought of Ornamental Lake, Southampton Common (Image: Southern Water)
Forecasts suggest that if we carry on as we are, by 2030 we could start to use more water in dry periods than nature can provide. For communities, that could mean more restrictions, such as hosepipe bans, and more strain on the environment, including rivers and chalk streams.
The water we use every day relies on local water sources refilling over time with regular rainfall. Climate change is shifting the way rain falls, which means we’re seeing more intense downpours. This type of rainfall runs off hard surfaces quickly, before the ground can absorb it and refill the water sources we all rely on. Alongside this we’re also experiencing longer, hotter dry spells, which adds environmental pressure.
To meet this challenge, Southern Water is investing over £8 billion to transform the way it sources, treats and supplies water across the region. This includes developing new water sources, using new technology to find, prevent and fix leaks, and building a more modern pipe network to move water around the region to where it’s needed most.
This is the largest investment programme in Southern Water’s history and, once completed, it’ll provide almost 270 million extra litres of water a day, helping to keep taps flowing and leaving more water in the environment for nature to flourish.
Water recycling, a process already used widely across the world, is also being planned to benefit the region. Using advanced treatment techniques, water recycling turns highly treated wastewater into purified recycled water, which can be used to top up rivers, lakes and reservoirs. All water is recycled by nature already, but water recycling will help to speed up that process to ensure we all have enough water in the future.
It’s also funding Havant Thicket, the UK’s first new reservoir in over 30 years, in partnership with Portsmouth Water. Plus, another reservoir in Oxfordshire will supply water to Hampshire in partnership with Thames Water.
Meanwhile, a new major 19km pipeline is being installed to connect three major sites in Hampshire. The £100m Southampton Link Main project will allow Southern Water to move water around the network to where it’s needed most, protecting water supplies and the environment during a drought.
These investments sit alongside leak repairs to keep more water in the network, a meter upgrade programme to help customers track their usage, and work with businesses and households to identify where they can cut back on water use.
Water is precious. Together we all have a part in protecting it, for today and for generations to come.
