We see ourselves as guardians of the environment which goes hand-in-hand with our statutory Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP).
The programme is centred on enhancing the natural environment and ensuring any water we take does not have a negative impact on the environment. For this specific WINEP measure we must deliver 60 improvement schemes between 2020 and 2025.
This metric measures compliance with the requirements of the WINEP and we are committed to delivering each of the requirements in line with our specific statutory deadline.
This new performance target is limited to the 59 schemes classified by the Environment Agency as having ‘Green’ status as of 1 April 2019 as well as the Bewl to Darwell Transfer scheme (reference 7SE200012).
How have we performed?
During the 2020 to 2025 period we completed 58 schemes.Two schemes were not delivered and not signed off by the Environment Agency, these were: Itchel abstraction licence reductions and Bewl-Darwell ceasing of raw water transfer.
In terms of overall performance within this reporting year, we successfully completed a total of six Surface Water DrWPA_ND schemes. This marks a significant achievement in our ongoing efforts to enhance the quality and resilience of our drinking water sources.
Each of these six schemes has undergone thorough scrutiny and has received formal sign-off from the Environment Agency, confirming their successful completion and adherence to the required standards.
Two Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) schemes were delivered this year. These projects will contribute to protecting our assets and biodiversity from the threat of invasive species.
Two ‘Restoring Sustainable Abstraction’ investigation schemes were delivered – one at Bisham Brook, related to our Hurley and Cookham sources, and a second at our Crowhurst Bridge source. Investigations found that these sources were sustainable at Recent Actual abstraction volumes and water body failures were largely attributed to other pressures, such as straightened rivers and road run-off. We also successfully delivered two river restoration/adaptive management schemes on the Maidenhead Ditch, in Maidenhead, and the Itchel Brook, a tributary to the River Hart.
We have delivered six groundwater catchment management schemes to reduce pollution within the groundwater aquifers this year as part of WINEP. In our Pembury catchment we’ve removed an old farm waste pile and we are monitoring the impact of this on pollutants in the catchment.
In our Tonbridge catchment we’ve installed an innovative treatment, in the form of a pilot permeable barrier in the aquifer to reverse historic contamination within the catchment.
Our work in the Woodgarston catchment has continued and we’ve worked closely with farmers and land managers on interventions to reduce nutrient leaching to groundwater.
Over 90 per cent of farmers in the catchment are now engaged with us through tests and trials, steering groups or through our capital grants scheme. Our innovative trials in this catchment will continue during the 2025 to 2030 period under an Advanced WINEP Scheme. We are one of only three water companies with an Advance WINEP for 2025 to 2030, allowing us to innovate further in this area and share findings with the water industry and the agricultural sector.
