New pipelines and recycling sea water among plans to tackle water shortages in East Anglia
Norfolk had it's 3rd driest summer on record this year
Last updated 7th Oct 2022
Anglian Water and the Environment Agency have told us that work and planning is underway to tackle water security issues in Norfolk and Suffolk.
The local water company is developing new pipelines and rolling out smart meters to homes across our county to tackle water supply and demand issues highlighted by this year's drought that's likely to get worse in the coming decades.
"We shall complete that by the end of the decade"
Dr Geoff Darch is water resources strategy manager for Anglian Water and guest lecturer at the University of East Anglia, (UEA).
He told us about some of what they're doing to improve efficiency, in the shorter term:
"We are currently rolling out smart meters across region and we shall complete that by the end of the decade. That will really help us and customers pin-point leaks and make sure that the water that is being used, is being used for the right reasons".
He went on to tell us that they've got plans to ensure future generations won't have to worry about this as much:
"In the longer term, we are developing new pipelines to bring water into Norfolk. We are also looking at new reservoirs, so that we store the extra water that we get in winter and then use it in summer when things are drier".
"We need to investigate alternate sources of supply"
The Environment Agency say that more reservoirs will need to be built, in addition to the one that's planned for the Norfolk-Cambridgeshire border, around the middle of the 2030s
While sea water off our coasts may need to recycled with the help of desalination plants to keep up with this demand.
Rob Bakewell is drought project manager at the environment agency.
He told us what's required in the longer term:
"We need to investigate alternate sources of supply, so we are working with Water Resources East, the regional planning body looking at sustainable methods of supply to East Anglia, that includes the construction of new reservoirs, water transfers from other regions and extended also to new technology such as de-salination plants across the East".
He told us that public awareness and education is vital:
"We turn the tap on and don't know or worry where that water is coming from. But often that's coming from ground-water aquifers, which are supporting surface water rivers and when we start to see those dry out that's when the aquifers are starting to struggle".
How have these plans been received?
Our National Farmers Union have welcomed these plans.
The NFU are continuing to call on the Government to do more to ensure that our agricultural sector will continue to have a dependable and plentiful supply of water moving forwards.
Kelly Hewson-Fisher is their Water Resources Specialist.
She told us all that key actors need to get round the table- and create a long-term plan:
"The agriculture industry is working with Water Resources regional planning groups to ensure that going into the future there really can be a multi-sector planning approach to water resources. It really is about that collaboration and working together that is key to unlocking the potential we have".
"We talk a lot about food security, but we cannot achieve this without water security. So, farmers must have access to water to grow the food we require".
What's next?
You can see more on the entirety of our #Troubled Waters investigation below and over on our social media pages:
-Who's being affected the most by this?