We're committed to protecting and improving the environment, not just for today, but for generations to come.
Water and the environment go hand in hand. Without a healthy environment, we can't have sustainable water sources, but without water, the environment will suffer.
Our Environment team work tirelessly to ensure we're getting that balance correct so the environment we take our water from can thrive, but we can also supply our 2.3 million customers with high quality drinking water.
Areas we protect
We own or manage lots of protected areas, including:
• 33 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). These are places that are important for their wildlife, geology, or other special features.
• One National Nature Reserve. This is an area of land that's protected because of its rare wildlife, geology, or special features.
• Two local nature reserves. These are places that are important for wildlife in the local area.
• Several National Landscapes. These are areas of countryside that are protected because of their beautiful scenery.
What we do to protect the environment
- We work with farmers to improve the quality and quantity of water at its source. Through planting cover crops or installing rain water harvesting systems, we're working collaboratively to protect the environment.
- We protect our rivers and chalk aquifers (underground layers of rock that hold water). This is done through removing sediment to deepen river beds clearing overgrown vegetation and widening riverbanks to improve flow.
- We enhance the environment for biodiversity, by increasing the number of different plants and animals in our area by removing invasive species and introducing declining species into dedicated sites.
- We're the first water company to write a 25-year plan for the environment. This plan sets out how we will minimise our effect on the environment from our own operations, and how we can go above and beyond our statutory duties to improve the environment and safeguard our natural resources for the next generation.
Below are two videos to show how we protect our ground water and surface water sources.
