Water supply and sanitation in England and Wales

Public water supply and sanitation in England and Wales has been characterised by universal access and generally good service quality.

In both England and Wales, water companies became privatised in 1989, although Dwr Cymru operates as a not-for-profit organisation.

Their responsibilities included water conservation, land drainage, fisheries, control of river pollution and, in some cases, navigation.

The reform was also aimed at putting in practice the principle of integrated river basin management, especially concerning the planning of investments in wastewater treatment.

[5] With the election of Margaret Thatcher in 1979 the water and sanitation sector initially remained public, but the government attempted to make the enterprises operate more along commercial lines.

While the industry became profitable, the rate of return on assets based on replacement cost values remained low at less than 2%.

[10] Total water supply for domestic and commercial customers in England and Wales was 14.5 million cubic metres per day in 2009.

[11] In 2008, the quality of water and sanitation services in England and Wales was regularly and comprehensively monitored by the economic regulator, OFWAT.

For example, the number of unplanned interruptions, properties at risk of low pressure, the share of complaints that were not answered within five days and combined sewer overflows have all declined, while sewage treatment works compliance has increased and river water quality has improved.

More than 700,000 kilometres of mains and sewers are buried beneath the ground – that’s enough to stretch to the moon and back, or a distance 200 times greater than the UK’s entire motorway network.

Water and sanitation tariffs in England and Wales increased by 44% in real terms between 1989 and 2008–09 and are among the highest in the world.

An Independent Report on Charging for Household Water and Sewerage Services published in 2009 by Anna Walker recommended a package of help to ensure that "the transition to metering is not to cause real problems of affordability to those on low incomes".

As a proportion of income, in England and Wales the cost of water and sewerage together works out at less than 1.5% of weekly earnings.

[20] More details on tariffs in England and Wales are provided in OFWAT's annual reports on water and sewerage charges.

[21] Average annual investments in water and sewerage in England and Wales were £3.3 billion in 2000–2005 and £3.6bn in 2005–2010, according to OFWAT,[12] which corresponds to £61 per capita per year.

[11] According to OFWAT leakage in England and Wales has declined significantly from 228 litres/property/day in 1994-95 to 141 L/p/d in 2006–07, enough to supply the needs of 10 million people.

[17] The study states that its methodology allows for an accurate comparison, including water used to flush pipes and for firefighting.

In a written ministerial statement, Mr Morley said: 'In many parts of the country, water is a precious resource which we can no longer simply take for granted.

[27] Deregulation was designed to deliver lower bills, increase water usage efficiency and improve customer satisfaction.

[29] Within the government the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has the responsibility for policy in the water and sanitation sector in England only.

[34] The Committee on Climate Change has predicted that demand for water in England will be greater than the available supply by between 1.1 and 3.1 billion litres per day by the 2050s.

[45] The Government of Wales Act 2006 (GoWA 2006) devolved multiple water policy powers to the then Welsh Assembly.

[46] The GoWA 2006 was changed by the Wales Act 2017 which includes devolution of water and sewerage powers as recommended by the Silk Commission.

Hafren Dyfrdwy (owned by Severn Trent) replaced these areas in 2018 and is aligned with the Welsh national border, serving 115,000 people in Wales.

Welsh Water is licensed to give 133 billion litres annually from Elan Valley reservoirs to Severn Trent customers.

Jane Dodds, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, stated that she was "totally behind" the council's proposal plans, adding that they are a "step in the right direction".

[52] In 2022, Professor Roger Falconer from Cardiff University said that England should "pay for the water", with the revenue being invested back into local communities in Wales.

He added, "We would supply directly under drought conditions to the south east of England and I would see this as the oil of Wales for the future in terms of revenue.

"[53] Former lecturer at Swansea University, John Ball has suggested that Welsh water exports to England is worth around £2bn annually.