27/01/2006 - Environment Agency Gives Go Ahead To Pump More Water to Bewl Reservoir The Environment Agency this week granted a drought permit to Southern Water to enable the company to pump more water from the River Medway into Bewl Reservoir.

The decision was based on a recommendation from an independent inspector who heard the case earlier this month (9 January). The inspector supported the Environment Agency¡¦s view that there had been an exceptional shortage of rain in England¡¦s South East and there was a risk to summer water supplies.

Despite objections, the inspector found any risk to the environment would be reduced by an action plan developed by the Environment Agency.

The drought permit will allow Southern Water to divert water from the River Medway to refill Bewl Reservoir. The reservoir is currently at 36% - its lowest ever level for this time of year - and supplies water to 400,000 people in Kent and East Sussex.

Southern Water will be allowed to increase the flow of water into the reservoir as long as the flow in the river stays above 100 megalitres a day. Under the existing licence, Southern Water couldn¡¦t take water from the river if the flow was less than 275 megalitres a day.

The Environment Agency has agreed a number of measures with Southern Water to ensure that the environment is protected. Southern Water will have to carry out regular monitoring of the water quality and if any problems develop they will have to stop taking the extra water from the river until the water quality has returned to normal.

Barbara Young, Chief Executive for the Environment Agency, said:

¡§Bewl Reservoir is an essential water resource for parts of Kent and East Sussex. It is important that every opportunity is taken to refill Bewl during the winter months. Later on in the year, river levels will naturally fall and demand for water from people and the environment will increase.

¡§The risk of environmental impact will be manageable, and delaying refilling the reservoir runs the risk that there may not be enough water to supply homes and businesses during the summer.

¡§We would urge people to continue to use water wisely whenever possible to help conserve this precious resource. Small changes in water habits can make a big difference to how much water we use. By working together and remembering to turn off the tap when we¡¦re brushing our teeth, only running dishwashers and washing machines when there¡¦s a full load, not washing cars and having showers instead of baths can save thousands of litres of water across the region every day.¡¨

Notes to editors:

„h When a water company applies for a drought permit, the Environment Agency makes an assessment of the water resource need and the environmental impact. If there are no objections and the Environment Agency is content with the application, a permit is issued. In the case of Southern Water¡¦s application, three objections were received and an inquiry was chaired by an inspector from the Planning Inspectorate. The inspector took evidence from the objectors into consideration and made a recommendation to the Environment Agency.

„h Objections were received from the Council for the Protection of Rural England, the Kent Fisheries Consultative Association and Mark Kelly in Yorkshire.

„h The drought permit has been granted until 31 March 2006.

„h The drought permit is based on the Minimum Residual Flow (MRF) in the River Medway at Teston. It is measured as the amount of water that flows through the gauging station in a day. The existing MRF is 275ml/d. This is an historic figure that dates back to 1992.

„h For more advice on how to save water in the home, in the garden and at work, or for background information on the drought and how it is being managed visit the ¡§water resources¡¨ section of our website.