The purpose of West Country Water Resources

The objective of the West Country Water Resources Group is to support a coordinated approach to water resources planning in the South West of England that transcends water company boundaries.

Each water company that’s a member of the West Country Water Resources Group produces a plan of how they’ll balance water supply with demand for at least the next 25 years, and these plans can be found on their websites.

The Group aims to build on these plans along with the outputs of Water UK's 'Water resources long-term planning framework' (September 2016) and the National Infrastructure Commissions 'Preparing for a drier future' (April 2018) by building a common regional understanding of:

  • The current and future availability of water resources in the West Country region
  • The needs of all water users, including those who take water directly from the source rather than being supplied by a water company
  • The factors that are likely to affect water supply and demand in the future, such as economic growth, forecast population, and the uncertainties of climate change
  • Options for improving the balance of water supply and demand in the West Country region, including cross-sector solutions made possible by engaging with other water users, considering environmental issues and impacts
  • Options for future water transfers both between water companies in the West Country and to other regions