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Join the fight to stop our rivers running out of water

posted on 1 November 2018 | posted in Articles / News



River levels are worryingly low right across the South East and here in the Thames Valley many of the Thames tributaries have been suffering from a dangerous combination of low flows and over abstraction by the water companies. The Lea and Colne catchments are particularly badly affected.



The Angling Trust is urging local anglers to engage with the water resource planning process as there is a chance that by swapping current groundwater abstractions for supplies from a new storage reservoir that some river flows could be restored.

Back in April we encouraged members to write in with feedback on the first iteration of Thames Water’s draft Water Resource Management Plan (WRMP). Thank you to everyone who took action – hundreds of you responded and Thames Water has now published a greatly improved second version of its WRMP, which is currently out for consultation.
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The key changes to the draft plan include:
  • The Abgindon reservoir in Oxfordshire being brought forward from 2043 to 2037.
  • The introduction of targets to reduce leakage by 15 per cent by 2025 and to halve leakage by 2050.
  • The removal of the Teddington Direct River Abstraction scheme, about which the Angling Trust and other environmental groups had serious concerns.
  • Including allowances for reductions in existing water abstractions which are perceived to have a negative environmental impact on vulnerable chalk streams and watercourses.
There’s some great news in here for our pressured rivers. The moving forwards of the Abingdon reservoir will mean that some unsustainable abstractions - particularly those in the Affinity water company area – can be reduced or switched off sooner. But a wealthy local resident group in Oxfordshire continues to oppose the reservoir, so we need to keep the pressure on to ensure that it gets built!

Please respond to the current Thames Water consultation before it closes on 28th November. You can respond using their online form.

You can use this document to help you – we’ve provided suggested answers to the four main questions asked by Thames Water. Just copy and paste, or adapt them to form your own answers.