Latest estimates of direct abstraction of water from nontidal surface water and groundwater in England 2017 published by the Department for Food Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) show an increase of 7.5% from 2016.
Between 2000 and 2011 there had been a gradual decline in estimated abstractions. However, following a 12.6% increase in 2012 and a 5.0% reduction in 2013, there have been increases in abstractions over the past 4 years of between 3.0% and 7.5%.
In 2017, direct abstraction of water from non-tidal surface water and groundwater in England was estimated at 10.4 billion cubic metres.
The figures show that abstraction of water from non-tidal surface water and groundwater in England had fallen steadily from an estimated peak of 11.6 billion cubic metres in 2001 to a low of 8.2 billion cubic metres in 2011.
However, since then total abstraction has increased by 26.9% to an estimated 10.4 billion cubic metres in 2017. According to Defra, the increase is mostly accounted for by the electricity supply industry, which saw an increase in estimated abstraction from 1.4 billion cubic metres in 2011 to 3.3 billion cubic metres in 2017.
In contrast, abstraction for public water supply, which makes up 51.2% of total abstraction, has remained relatively stable - increasing by 3.1% over the same 6-year period to an estimated 5.3 billion cubic metres in 2017.
Estimated abstraction for fish farming, watercress growing and amenity ponds has fallen from 1.7 billion cubic metres in 2000 to 0.9 billion cubic metres in 2017, while abstraction for ‘all other purposes’ has also fallen by a similar amount (an estimated 0.7 billion cubic metres) since 2000.
In 2017, 19.7% of estimated total abstractions were from groundwater. The estimated amount of groundwater abstraction has decreased steadily from 2.4 billion cubic metres in 2000 to 2.0 billion cubic metres in 2017.
Abstractions from non-tidal surface water had decreased more sharply from an estimated 8.8 billion cubic metres in 2000 to a low of 6.0 billion cubic metres in 2011. The figure has since increased again to an estimated 8.4 billion cubic metres in 2017.
Click here to download more detailed information on estimated abstractions (2000 to 2017)
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