Royston councillor calls on water company to save rivers

Water companies across the country are required to write Water Resources Management Plans - demonstrating how they intend to secure water supplies at an affordable price, without damaging the environment.

This follows widespread concern about the state of England's rivers, which include 85 per cent of the world's chalk streams, with the Rivers Trust highlighting that no UK rivers are in good health.

In Royston, Labour and Co-operative district councillor Cllr Chris Hinchcliff wrote to Affinity Water calling on them to develop a plan that will do more to protect nature and tackle over-extraction.

Cllr Hinchcliff said: "The countryside, and the wildlife that inhabits it, around Royston and across North Hertfordshire is incredibly precious.

"Too often our local rivers are at risk of pollution or drying out altogether, putting enormous pressure on rare and iconic animal species.”

"Organisations like RevIvel are doing incredible work to highlight how our own chalk streams, which are rarer than blue whales or coral reefs, are at serious risk of disappearing completely unless water companies take urgent action.

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"I am calling upon Affinity Water to do more to conserve water, end over extraction and reduce leakages, in order to ensure that the rivers across North Hertfordshire have enough water to support the healthy and abundant wildlife we all want to see."

Wildlife and Countryside Link, the largest environment and wildlife coalition in England, recently held consultations for the public to have their say on the Water Resources Management Plans in their area.

A spokesperson for Affinity Water said: "We would like to thank Cllr Chris Hinchcliff for his response to our Draft Water Resources Management Plan. The consultation closed on February 20, 2023.

"We’ll consider and respond to all the feedback we have received and publish our Statement of Response on May 15, 2023 - after that, we’ll update our draft WRMP so it reflects any changes.

"This is then shared with the Secretary of State who will decide whether we can publish it or not in the autumn of 2023.

"Our Water Resources Management Plan, provides a roadmap for a reliable, resilient, sustainable, efficient and affordable water supply to customers between 2025 and 2075, while taking care of the local environment."

Actions laid out in the plan include reducing customer demand, driving down leakage, measuring water use through metering, "significant" investment in infrastructure for new sources of water, and working across the water industry to share resources regionally.

The spokesperson added: "The draft plan will also increase the resilience of the region’s water supplies to severe drought, achieving the Government’s target for water supplies to be resilient to a one in 500-year drought by 2040. 

"In the autumn of 2022 Affinity Water re-launched its Save our Streams (SOS) initiative urging customers to save water, which in turn will save them money, and help to protect the UK’s delicate chalk stream ecosystems."

To find out more visit affinitywater.co.uk/saveourstreams.