Reservoir listed in water options

The details have been revealed as the company is currently running a survey on its 50-year vision for securing high quality water for the South East.

The reservoir is listed under ‘may include’ and stated it would store water during the winter when flows are high to boost supplies in summer.

Recycling water from the wastewater treatment works in Ford and Peacehaven to increase water in the environment and building desalination plants on the tidal stretch of the River Arun and at Shoreham Harbour to clean seawater for use as drinking water are also listed.

In a statement, Southern Water said : “The plan, which is available to view online, is detailed in five-year chunks to ensure it can adapt to the changing needs of homes, businesses, communities and industry up until 2070.

“In Sussex, shorter-term plans for 2020-2025 will see us reducing leaks, increasing the number of homes with meters to encourage water saving, and working towards achieving Target 100, which will help us all reduce our personal water usage to 100 litres a day by 2040.”

Southern Water’s water strategy manager, Meyrick Gough, said: “Fresh, good quality water is vital for our daily lives and it’s only right we should prepare effectively to ensure we safeguard this precious resource well into the future. Our plan is to secure resilience in our water supply, ensuring we’re well prepared to deal with any eventuality – from extreme climate change at one end, to a future where we’re all more water efficient at the other.

“Our customers play a huge part in helping shape the way we manage water supply, and we very much welcome their input as we continue to develop our future plans.”

Customers have until May 28 to have their say on the document and Southern Water will donate £1 to WaterAid for every response it receives. To take part in the short online survey, please visit www.southernwater.co.uk/haveyoursay.