Waterwise has published a UK-wide water efficiency strategy which it says could save at least 1,500 megalitres (Ml) of water every day by 2030.
The final plan, which was consulted on over the summer, to make “all people, homes and organisations” water efficient has 10 specific goals for the rest of the decade.
The strategy sets out guidance for government, policymakers, water companies, regulators, domestic and business consumers and other stakeholders alike to adopt. Its number one objective is for government and regulators to show clear, visible leadership for water efficiency and reflect it in policy and regulatory frameworks.
“This summer we’ve again seen rivers drying up and reservoir levels dropping – if there was ever a time for the UK to focus on water efficiency it’s now,” said Waterwise managing director Nicci Russell at the launch of the strategy.
“We need to ensure we have enough water for people, the economy and the environment now and in the future – and this quite simply won’t happen unless all of us step up our game on water efficiency.”
The strategy promotes the rollout of domestic smart meters to save more than 350Ml of water daily by helping householders to reduce consumption by 15% compared to unmetered properties. It calls for one million meters to be installed annually to achieve this level of water saving.
It says the introduction of water efficiency labelling, which the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is currently consulting on, could cut national usage by 300 megalitres daily. This is based on the assumption of having minimum standards in place for five years, linked to requirements for retrofitting homes at scale.
Under the plan, the remaining 850Ml daily savings would come from a combination of tighter standards on water efficiency for new developments, reducing wastage in non-household sites, eliminating leak-prone loos and fitting showers with behavioural devices, rolling out other assorted water-saving measures and the projected impact of regional campaigns on behaviour.
“At a time when both the UK and devolved governments, and water companies, are considering their policy and investment priorities for the years ahead, I encourage everyone to use this strategy to inform your decisions,” head of Water Resources East Daniel Johns said. “The publication comes at a pivotal moment as we end a summer period that has seen 2022 recorded by the Met Office as the driest year so far for both the UK and England since 1976.”