NI Water has announced that the latest Water Resource & Supply Resilience Plan (WR&SRP) is complete following public consultation.
NI Water said the WR&SRP is not only important for NI Water but also Northern Ireland PLC, as it shows how the company will manage and develop water resources to make sure there is enough water to meet future supply needs.
The WR&SRP considers population, housing, water usage and incorporates any predicted changes to climate. This includes highlighting how water supplies would be maintained during critical periods such as severe winters and droughts and having a plan for drought.
NI Water has significantly changed the WR&SRP since its 2020 version. Some of these changes include:
- A longer-term planning horizon from 25 to 50 years.
- Changing future weather patterns requires increased resilience to more frequent and extreme events. This includes planning for extreme drought events that are estimated to occur once every 200 years.
- Increased focus on environmental sustainability in support of carbon Net Zero targets.
NI Water said the company has made significant improvements in water resilience for customers since the last WR&SRP was launched. The new WR&SRP aims to build on this work, ensuring continued high levels of leakage detection, sustained investment in water mains and water efficiency initiatives. The company said that with the appropriate investment, the WR&SRP serves as a blueprint and pathway to enable a secure, reliable water supply for Northern Ireland, ensuring that the region’s infrastructure can withstand challenges into the future.
NI Water devised the WR&SRP with input from key stakeholders, including the Department for Infrastructure, the Utility Regulator, the Drinking Water Inspectorate, Northern Ireland Environment Agency and Consumer Council NI.
The Water Resource & Supply Resilience Plan is now available at https://www.niwater.com/managing-northern-irelands-water-resources/.
