Water efficiency targets

Summary

The Environment Agency welcomes the opportunity to comment on this consultation and is pleased to have participated in the development of the options with Ofwat.

We support Ofwat’s intention to introduce water efficiency targets for water companies from 2010.

We also support Ofwat’s proposals to allow companies significant flexibility in meeting these targets.

This will ensure that companies are free to achieve cost effective savings that will ultimately lead to a strong evidence base for demand management.

Ofwat should review the progress of the water industry in meeting these targets and intervene where companies are not achieving savings from a sufficiently wide range of sectors to fulfil their statutory duty.

We recognise that targets will need to be refined as the evidence base for demand management improves and seek regular review of the assumptions used to set the targets.

Read our full response