Establishing water use policy

The Government wants to reduce water consumption by 20 per cent per person by 2030.

DEFRA

At the national scale, DEFRA’s Future water strategy sets a series of aspirations nationally for water use. Of particular relevance is the target to ‘reduce per capita consumption of water through cost effective measures, to an average of 130 litres per person per day by 2030, or possibly even 120 litres per person per day depending on new technological developments and innovation’. Consumption is currently 150 litres per person per day and so this represents up to a 20 per cent decrease in use.

The Code for Sustainable Homes sets out targets for reducing water consumption. Code levels 5 and 6 for example require reduced consumption to a levels of 80 litres per person, while Code levels 3 and 4 require a maximum consumption of 105 litres per person. As these Code levels are adopted as Building Regulations over time, they will become mandatory maximums. Revisions to Part G of the Building Regulations in 2009 are expected to introduce a maximum consumption of 125 litres per person.

Water management and planning policy should set objectives for:

• water supply
• storm water management
• waste water management
• water-borne pollutants
• groundwater recharge and discharge

An overarching principle should be that all surface water managed should generate clean surface water for anticipated and unknown water use. A balance between water use as a resource and returning used water (for example, local water treatment) to the local environment will ensure ground water and base flows to water resources are preserved.

At the regional scale consideration should be given to developing a land and water strategy which addresses the following aspects:

• stream protection and restoration
• water balance and stream flow water utilisation and efficiency
• salinity and other groundwater-related issues
• water quality
• water-dependent ecosystems
• erosion and sedimentation
• waterway amenity and recreation
• contaminated land management
• flood risk management
• coastal and estuary management.

The strategy should actively seek to reduce dependence on potable water through rainwater harvesting, recycling of used water and reduction of water ‘hungry’ activity. It should identify mechanisms to reintroduce clean water to the ground rather than piping it away to river or sea discharge, as well as objectives to protecting drinking water reservoirs from storm water. Where possible opportunities to create incentives for ‘best practice’ should be considered.

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Priority: encourage sustainable water use
Tags: national level, water, regions and subregions