Climate change will raise water utilities’ costs, say engineers

THE water industry’s battle to cut costs while reducing widespread leakage could be a dealt a major blow by climate change.

In the wake of recent scorching temperatures and water shortages, a report from the Institute of Mechanical Engineers has warned that increasingly frequent droughts, floods and superstorms are set to drive water utility costs higher.

The engineering authority said the longer, hotter summers, which are an expected outcome of climate change, will mean water treatment plants will need to run at peak flow rates for longer.

This would raise maintenance and running costs, as well as energy consumption, said the report. It will also require more chemicals to clean the water faster.

Water companies have been pushed to their brink this summer due to lower than normal rainfall and soaring temperatures, pushing United Utilities and Southern Water to seek special exemptions from the Environment Agency to alter the usual flow of rivers to help shore up their dwindling reservoirs.

Water utilities are already under unprecedented pressure from the

‘Consumers need to understand the challenges of managing water in more extreme environments’

regulator to lower household bills while pouring investment into major upgrades to reduce leakage.

More than 20pc of the UK’S available water is lost through leaky pipes, making it difficult for companies to call on their customers to reduce water use. United Utilities provoked the ire of its customers in the North West of England by threatening a hosepipe ban, which has since been called off.

The report’s author, Jenifer Baxter, head of engineering at the institution, warned that water companies will need to adapt to climate change by preparing for both drought and flood risks.

She said that customers will need to change their behaviour, too.

“We need to make people aware of the value of water as a resource.

“Consumers need to understand the challenges of managing water in more extreme environments and the increased costs that water companies will face running treatment plants at higher flow rates as well as reducing leakage.

“Sustainable drainage and water recycling systems along with reducing water use are all part of the solution of helping us adapt to climate change,” she said.