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Thames Water to downsize its reservoir as demand dries up
Mark Prigg13.03.09
A giant reservoir designed to guarantee London's water supply has been downsized because of the credit crunch.
Thames Water planned to build a £1 billion 3.9 sq mile lake holding at least 150 billion litres of water — roughly half the size of Windermere.
But the project has now been delayed by seven years and its capacity has been cut by a third. Thames Water said the economic downturn would lead to a reduction in demand for drinking water.
Chief executive David Owens said: “We are now predicting a slower increase in population and household numbers...
“This means that overall demand for water will increase more slowly than previously forecast, particularly in the next five years.”
The firm originally proposed to build the reservoir between East Hanney and Steventon in Oxfordshire.
Construction was due to begin in 2011 and end in 2016 but the project is now scheduled to be completed by 2026. Thames insisted that the reservoir will still be built.
Many residents are opposed to any reservoir. Nick Thompson, spokesman for Group Against Reservoir Development, said: “[Thames Water's] water demand figures have gone down, so it should scrap the plan altogether.”
Reader views (6)
House building has "dried up" so there is a diminished demand for water.
Global warming is a myth - every year since 1998 has been cooler (check it yourself!)- so water will not be needed to counter th heat.
- Dave Davies, Basingstoke, Hants
guess what, this summer will be sizzling hot, breaking all records for heat and subsequent chaos. hose pipe bans, water shortages and hospitals filled beyond capacity by those unable to cope and the water companies will scratch their heads and declare ' we never saw it coming'
and like bankers will demand bonus's and additional perks and pensions. profits in such companies will still continue to rise, as water becomes a scarce commodity. this centuries wars will be water waters, oil is old hat.
- M.O'Brien, london.uk
In The Times they report that we should prepare for climate change by investing (our taxes, of course) in projects to prevent calamities; in this paper, there is a report that Thames Water is doing the complete opposite, presumably because it is a privately-owned company these days and can do what it wants.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, Scotland
The lunatics are running the asylum, if we are going into climate change and the world is warming ... we will need water and plenty of it. We see how much is used when we don't have heavy rain or snowfalls in winter to carry us through the summer in the recent past, this idea to downsize is CRAZY and the water companies should be held to account.
Finally, Does the Minister for the Environment know about this plan, if he /she does then it should be stopped in it's tracks this is plain stupid.
- John ,, Scarborough, N. YKS, U.K.
How short-sighted. If we have another hot summer no doubt there will be shortages once again.
- Celiad, London, UK
"roughly half the size of Windermere."
Do you mean Lake Windermere or Windermere itself?
- Bob, Cheam
