The Environment Agency is seeking to understand the wider impacts of water scarcity on key water-using sectors beyond the water companies, agriculture and energy sectors.

The EA is has issued a Request for Quotation for a project which aims to independently engage key water using sectors and assess the current level of resilience and how water scarcity would impact on each sector both now and in the future. .

Areas to be considered include:

• Impacts of supply interventions or restrictions
• Impacts on production and output
• Disruption of supply chains and transportation routes
• Conflict with other water users
• Reputational risks
• Costs to business/sector

Outlining its requirement, the EA says that non-Public Water Supply abstractors face the same pressures as water companies to meet future demands, whether from population growth, new developments, or the changing climate.

The RFQ states:

“We need to ensure water is available for new housing developments, food security, the technology sector, low carbon power generation and industry to secure economic growth, mitigate water scarcity and drought. We must also ensure that water is used sustainably so that the environment is protected.”

The Agency's National Framework for Water Resources says that by 2050, if no action is taken, 5 billion extra litres of water per day will be needed for public water supply alone to address future pressures and meet England's long-term water needs

The Framework has a renewed focus on improving multi-sector planning for future water needs. Apart from the water companies, the focus to date has been on the agriculture and energy sectors due to a natural progression of previous water resources planning and work.

The EA now wants to take stock of other water using sectors to review their vulnerability to water scarcity and improve their level of resilience.

The project will include scoping work to cost the wider social, economic and environmental impacts of water scarcity in each sector. The Agency also expects the project to provide recommendations on:

• How sectors can demonstrate their efficient use of water and improve demand management as a way of improving resilience
• How sectors can implement robust drought plans
• How sectors can manage its water supply assets appropriately
• Access to a professionalised and skilled workforce to consider the technical aspects of water resources management
• Establishing robust management systems to ensure compliance with water resources licences (and other environmental permits

Deadline to respond to the Request for Quotation is 5pm on 2 August 2024 – click here to download the RFI document.