Plans to secure water supplies for Essex
14/12/2007
Plans to help safeguard future water supplies in Essex have been submitted to four planning authorities.
Essex & Suffolk Water wants to enlarge its existing reservoir at Abberton by 58 per cent as part of the ‘Abberton Scheme’ to ensure that Essex has a sustainable water supply for future generations.
Demand for water in Essex is predicted to rise by around 6% over the next 25 years, almost entirely due to an increase in population. Essex is the driest county in the country and there is a need for a long-term and sustainable increase in water resources for the Essex supply area.
The Scheme, which will cost £140 million, is an example of the way Essex & Suffolk Water is adapting to the challenges of climate change which it is predicted will bring more extreme weather conditions. Capturing water when it is readily available in the winter will ensure more water is stored for potential dry periods.
The plan to enlarge Abberton Reservoir, which has been submitted to Colchester Borough Council, is the culmination of a process that considered around 250 possible sites across East Anglia.
Since the 1970s, Essex has required transfers of water from the Ely Ouse in Norfolk to fill its reservoir at Abberton, during dry periods.
As part of the Abberton Scheme, it is proposed to vary the Environment Agency’s abstraction licences at Denver and Blackdyke in Norfolk which control the amount of water transferred to Essex from the Ely Ouse. This will provide the potential for additional water for transfer from Denver to fill the enlarged reservoir.
To transfer additional water to the reservoir, the company plans to lay two underground pipelines, one from Kirtling Green in Suffolk to Wixoe on the Essex/Suffolk border where the additional water will be put into the River Stour. Permission to construct this pipeline will be applied for from East Cambridgeshire, St Edmundsbury and Braintree councils.
The second pipeline is to carry water from the River Stour from Wormingford, Essex to Abberton Reservoir. Permission for this pipeline and associated buildings is to be sought from Colchester Borough Council.
As well as providing a vital new resource, the Scheme has been designed to enhance the reservoir for both people and wildlife.
The existing Essex Wildlife Trust visitor centre, adjacent to Abberton Reservoir, will be relocated to larger and improved premises. The plans would also increase the network of public access routes in the proximity of the reservoir from around 4km to 14km.
Abberton Reservoir is one of the most important sites in Britain for water birds and their habitat at the reservoir will be protected before, during and after construction. The enhancement proposals incorporate areas of shallow water as habitat for feeding waterfowl, as well as other measures which will increase the reservoir’s value for waterfowl.
Since the beginning of the Scheme’s development, which started around fifteen years ago, Essex & Suffolk Water has worked with a number of different groups including Natural England and RSPB to obtain input for the project.
The larger reservoir at Abberton will be able to hold 15,000 million litres more water and is the most sustainable option to secure water supplies from an environmental, engineering and economic perspective. Enlarging an existing reservoir will require a smaller percentage of additional land compared to building a new reservoir.
The Scheme is part of Essex & Suffolk Water’s overall strategy to balance supply and demand for water. The company already has one of the lowest leakage records in the country and is also accelerating its metering actions. It is also increasing its promotion of water efficiency through a number of projects, many of which have won national awards.
Subject to the outcome of the planning application, construction work is due to start at the reservoir in 2010 and it is expected that it will be fully operational by 2014
Jim Jenkins, Abberton project manager said: “The Abberton Scheme is necessary to ensure adequate supplies of water are available to meet the long term demand in the Essex area, allowing us to catch and store more of the winter rainfall for use in summer months.
“The Scheme is being designed to a high level of environmental sensitivity with regard to both local communities and the wildlife for which the site is internationally protected as a Special Protection Area (SPA) and as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).”
For further information on the Scheme, log onto Essex & Suffolk Water website www.eswater.co.uk or email donna.aylett@eswater.co.uk
Ends
Abberton factfile
• Current top water level at Abberton Reservoir– 17.8 metres
• New top water level at Abberton Reservoir – 21 metres
• Current volume of reservoir – around 26,000 million litres
• New volume of reservoir – 41,000 million litres
• Current surface area of reservoir – 4,714,869 square metres
• New surface area of reservoir – 6,612,432 square metres
Information leaflets are available on the scheme. For further information please contact Claire Bishop on 01245 212 010.