Mr William Cutting                                          CAP0001

Written evidence submitted by Mr William Cutting

WATER A NATURAL CAPITAL ASSET

Water is the most important and essential natural capital asset we possess. It arrives free of charge and is completely renewable.

In the Report Future of Water, (Defra 2008) the Secretary of State for the Environment, The Rt. Hon. Hilary Benn MP, advised us to use this water ‘much more efficiently and sustainably’.

The present system used by the UK Water Industry is to take water from the upper reaches of rivers, either directly or from aquifers - porous underground rocks providing storage.

Because this abstraction is currently at or about the ability of these resources to supply, and takes place at the very start of the water’s journey, it causes environmental damage.  Environmental Regulators are beginning to require no further abstractions and are requesting reductions.

The remaining water flows down to the salt water estuaries and is lost.

The European Union Water Framework Directive, as interpreted into UK Regulation by the United Kingdom Technical Advisory Group Report UK Environmental Standards and Conditions (page 50 on), says that this flow of freshwater into estuaries can be reduced. The reduction is dependent on the standard of the transient waters in the estuary.

The tables on page 54, final column (Flows less than 95%), show some water can be continuously abstracted. A review of the 200+ rivers in England and Wales shows there to be at least 10,000 Megalitres available, vastly more than required to meet any future predicted shortfall.

I recommend that the Water Industry should change its abstraction priorities. They should leave as much water as possible in the freshwater environment for as long as possible by introducing abstractions at the tidal interface. This is generally referred to as the ‘final weir.

As the vast majority of the population lives on or near an estuary this would make the water available at the point of need.

Because there is much more water at the tidal interface than required, water companies must prioritise this abstraction and reduce upper catchment abstraction. This will allow an immediate environmental improvement.

Reduced abstraction from aquifers means the water tables will gradually rise, flows from natural springs will steadily increase, creating greater flow over the final weir. The water remaining in the aquifers will be available as an additional resource should things get really dry.

This proposal has a number of other benefits. It is much cheaper and far less intrusive than current proposals.

It enables the country to tell prospective overseas investors that we have no problem with water restrictions.

The Water Industry is at a critical point. Either it starts to use the water available at the tidal interface and reduces its reliance on upper catchment abstraction or we will always be faced with the prospect of water restrictions, costs both economic and environmental will be huge and the environment will never recover.

This proposal will leave the environment in a better condition than we found it, will start the improvement in biodiversity we all seek and would be carried out at minimal cost.

William Cutting. C.Eng, MICE, MCIWEM.

August 2023