On Friday James met with Anglian Water to talk about their water optimisation and leakage programme which is a key part of its water resource management plan.
During this heatwave more water is used which is a reminder than living in one of the driest counties that everyone has a role to play in protecting this precious resource.
That starts with water companies as everyday 3 billion litres of water are lost to leakage. Anglian Water has one of the best records of the water companies having reduced the level of leakage by over 14 megalitres a day from 2015 to 2020 and it is encouraging that they remain committed to further reductions.
However Anglian Water is committed to reducing this further and uses cutting-edge smart valve equipment that helps to prevent, find, and fix leaks across 38,000 km of water mains in the region. Its plans for additional reservoirs and the new strategic pipeline will also mean that less water is taken from the River Nar, for example.
North West Norfolk has some aging infrastructure running through large, flat areas with smaller customer conurbations and therefore Anglian Water is aiming to optimise how water is distributed to prevent or minimise any possible issues.Optimising the network helps ensure great water quality, reduce leakage, maintain consistent pressure, and reducing the number of burst water mains.
As well as tackling leakage, making products and building homes that use water more efficiently are another part of the solution to reduce water usage. James has welcomed the government announcement announcement that it will introduce mandatory water efficiency labels for showers, dishwashers, and other white goods. This will be like the existing traffic light model for energy efficiency.
On housing, local authorities will be encouraged to adopt a tighter standard of 110 litres per day, compared with the current 125 litres for new homes meaning developers must install more efficient fixtures and fittings.
