Thames Water ordered to fix leaks before pumping millions of litres from rivers
Thames Water has been told by the Environment Agency it needs to do more to fix the 630m litres of water it leaks a day before it starts taking water from the River Thames or from Wales to tackle drought problems.
The company has published its ideas for tackling climate crisis-induced droughts across London and the south-east, which include abstracting millions of litres a day from the River Thames and replacing it with treated effluent, to taking 155m litres a day from Wales.
But in an analysis of the company’s 2024 draft water resources plans, the Environment Agency says Thames Water needs to think again and justify its decisions.
The agency is ordering the water supplier to do more to fix its leaks. “Thames Water leaks more water than any other company. The company has struggled to maintain its planned level of leakage, especially over the past year,” the report says. “Given the size of the leakage issues faced by Thames Water, we expect the company to invest in new research and development to identify ways it could substantially reduce leakage further than the 50% reduction target by 2050.”
The Environment Agency says security of water supply to the south-east and London will be at risk if the company does not tackle its leaks and reduce customer demand for water. It says the cheapest options put forward by Thames may not provide the long-term benefits required.
Thames Water’s draft water resources management plan 2024 outlines a series of projects designed to find new water resources for London and the south-east in the years ahead as drought becomes a regular feature. Consultation on the document closed this week.
The company is promoting a “water recycling” project as the cheapest and quickest solution, which involves
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