THAMES Water has said that recent findings of a national infrastructure assessment are further evidence of the need for their proposed storage reservoir, tipped to be installed in Abingdon.
It follows the submission of a report by the National Infrastructure Commission, which sets out the current state of UK economic infrastructure and identifies key challenges we could face in coming decades.
The report, published on Wednesday, October 18, laid out a number of issues which British infrastructure would face, including the continued need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and poor urban transport connectivity in many parts of the UK.
Among the findings was the warning that around three million properties are at risk of surface water flooding in England.
It also noted that “serious pollution” incidents in water and sewerage infrastructure were “unacceptably high.”
Climate change would further exacerbate these issues, the report stated, as nature is declining “at unprecedented rates,” and makes it harder to make and maintain infrastructure.
The report laid out a number of recommendations, which included “action… needed to improve surface water management,” and the movement to a “circular economy” for waste management bodies.
Thames Water has responded to the report, saying that it further supports the provider’s plans for a storage reservoir in Abingdon.
The plans were included in their recent 50-year plan, but the response details that the water provider would have to undertake a 15-year project in collaboration with Affinity Water and Southern Water for the proposals.
Nevil Muncaster, strategic partnerships director at Thames Water, said: “The National Infrastructure Commission has made an important contribution to the debate over how Britain should tackle the challenges of climate change.
“As the report makes clear, we need to increase reservoir capacity significantly as a matter of urgency if future generations are to enjoy a resilient supply of clean water.
“The UK is experiencing more frequent heatwaves and droughts, and with a rising population, the strains on water system will escalate–nowhere is this problem more acute than in the South East.”
He added: “In partnership with Affinity Water and Southern Water, Thames Water has proposed a new water storage reservoir located near Abingdon, Oxfordshire, which would ensure water security for some 19 million people in London and the South East and provide protection to some important chalk streams.
“The project would take at least 15 years to complete, and with the effects of climate change becoming increasingly apparent, we cannot afford not to act–as the NIC correctly states, the funding and delivery of new reservoir capacity must start as soon as possible.
“This country has become adept at deferring tough decisions as we adapt to a changing climate.
“The new reservoir is an opportunity for Britain to show it has the leadership required to make the long-term investments in infrastructure that will benefit citizens a century from now.”
