Water Resources East · Find out more at waterresourceseast.com The way forward for Water Resources East Our Strategic Priorities Strategic Priority 4: Provide quality assured, academically

Water Resources East

Our Strategic Priorities and Draft Forward Plan

Dr Robin Price

Managing Director

Find out more at waterresourceseast.com

A revised strategy…..

Working with all water users in Eastern England to identify ways in

which they can become as water efficient as possible



Promote the need for additional storage of water within the landscape,

increasing resilience for all water users and seeking to identify multi-sector

opportunities to link water scarcity with flood risk management solutions



Transfer water from areas of surplus to areas of deficit, seeking to

increase connectivity using both open water channels as well as

pipelines



Link land and water management more effectively, seeking to

increase resilience and enhance the natural systems and resources on

which all abstractors depend



Actively explore other potential sources of water for our region, for

example desalination and water re-use



Contribute to low carbon strategies and plans, helping the region to

meet net zero ambition



Turning the strategy into a Regional Plan…..

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Through co-creation, engagement and collective decision making, our plan will:

– Seek to increase the level of resilience for water resources for all sectors.

– Identify opportunities to deliver wider benefits in terms of flood risk and water quality.

– Seek to enhance the environment, in line with the 25 Year Environment Plan.

– Identify ways to ensure that water (either too much or not enough) is not a barrier to economic

development in the region.

– Promote schemes which represent the best value for the region, seeking through collaboration to deliver

more efficient solutions.

– Explore innovative funding and delivery models for water management solutions.

– Co-deliver the water related elements of other key regional strategies and plans.

– Focus on delivery of water-related climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies including net zero

carbon ambition.

– Provide academically rigorous evidence to policy makers.

Multi-sector water

efficiency

opportunities

Community

engagement

Household

water

efficiency

programmes

New storage options

• Small-scale (farm/landowner

scale designed to relieve local

pressures and increase local

resilience)

• Mid-scale (eg use of existing

water bodies such as gravel

pits, borrow pits)

• Landscape scale providing

regional and national benefits

Identify catchments where

flood and scarcity could be

linked up

Maintenance

strategies for

open water

channels and

associated

assetsIncreased connectivity

of open water channels

(local, regional and

national)

Pipeline

transfers (local,

regional and

national)

Land use change,

building natural

capital and

enhanced

ecosystem services

Pilot new

approaches

through ELMS

Innovate around

prioritisation eg natural

capital accounting,

systematic conservation

planning

‘New’ sources of water

• Currently unlicensed

• Linked to flood risk

reduction

• Sharing/trading

opportunities maximised

Trades/sharing

within existing

licenses

Future innovation

around desalination

(eg low energy,

microbial, waste

stream

managementAquifer

recharge

Partner on

clean

growth and

net zero

strategies

Link water

and

energy

systems

Understand the

impact of future

energy systems,

eg hydrogen

Best value

planning

• Natural Capital

accounted for

• Six Capitals

thinking employed

Data and Information

• What does everyone have?

• How can we join it all up?

• What are the gaps?

Future skills

identified

across

sectors

Robust Water Quality Risk

Assessments (drinking

water quality and invasive

non-natives

Existing and

innovative funding

identified and

utilised – the role

of green finance

International best

practice captured

and deployed

Innovative governance

models explored eg

system operators and

Water Funds

Capacity building

across sectors

Understanding commercial

arrangements eg revenue

Quantifying

increases in

resilience and

reduction of risk

Systems thinking

Underpinning workstreams

Water Cycle

studies

Existing exemplars

identified and

willing volunteers

recruited

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Recognising the diversity of water use across

the region, we will be planning across

hydrological and political boundaries…..

Our Strategic Advisory and Consultation Group


The way forward for Water Resources East

Our Strategic Priorities

Strategic Priority 1: Deliver the National Framework

The WRE ‘core’ Technical

Programme

Work packages:

• Preliminary work

• Supply forecasting

• Demand forecasting

• Supply side options

• An update to the WRE Regional

Simulator

• Planning conferences

• Quality Assurance and Quality Control




Strategic Priority 2: Deliver a series of flagship schemes across the region (initial candidate list – can be added to!)

The Fenland Adaptation Strategy

Lincolnshire ESIF project

Defra ELM test & trial (Lincolnshire)

A Norfolk Water Management Plan

Connection to the River Great Ouse, with increased resilience from a connection to

Water Resources West via the Bedford Milton Keynes Waterway

Cambridgeshire chalk streams


Multi-sector water trading

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Future Energy Scenarios - hydrogen

19


Priority Catchments

20


Water efficiency exemplars within our region

21


What does an exemplary community look like?

22




Strategic Priority 3:Increase our engagement and role in key projects and initiatives across the region

Some examples of current conversations…..

• The Ox-Cam Arc Strategic Water Cycle Study

• The Ox-Cam Arc Local Natural Capital Plan

• The Bedford-Milton Keynes Waterway Park, including the

Brogborough Wheel

• Suffolk’s water strategy

• The Broadland Futures Initiatives

• The Fens Biosphere

• The Business in the Community (BITC) Climate

Adaptation Taskforce

• Cambridgeshire County Council’s Climate Change &

Environment Strategy

• The Great Fen Project (‘Water Works’)

• The role of nature-based solutions and ‘Water Funds’

with The Nature Conservancy

• Equitable allocation of water resources with The Nature

Conservancy and Oxford University

• Doubling Nature’ – the Local Nature Partnership for

Cambridgeshire

• The Natural Environment Policy and Planning Forum for

Cambridge

• The Greater Cambridge Integrated Water Management Study

• The Yakima Basin project in the Western US with the Water

Research Foundation

• The Humber 2100+ strategy and the Local Industrial

Strategy

• South East LEP Local Industrial Strategy

• Innovate East outputs (water trading with Wheatley

Solutions, Essex & Suffolk Water and Anglian Water)

• And many, many more…..




Strategic Priority 4: Provide quality assured, academically rigorous evidence,

and work with regulators and government to shape water

management policy

…and our colleagues within specialist consultancies

Innovative funding solutions


Schemes selected by water

companies carried into

WRMPs & WRP Tables

Schemes selected by drainage

& Flood Risk Management

authorities carried into FRM

plans & strategies

Solutions selected with non-

PWS primary drivers carried

into other organisations’

strategies and delivery plans

Regional strategic simulator &

MO RDM process to appraise

RAPID & other large schemes

Catchment and local pilots

(priority catchment pilots,

ELMs and others) to develop

and appraise local/catchment

scale schemes & opportunities

Selected

solutions are

documented

in the WRE

Regional Plan

‘No-build’ solutions, for

example behavioural change

interventions




Strategic Priority 5:Develop a long-term strategy for the organisation beyond 2023

Funding sources/opportunities



So – what happens next? When and how will you

be involved?

May 31st

BP

comments

back

WRE Board

meeting

June 22nd

July

Technical

Methods

published

WRE

AGM

12th

October

Updated

Resource

Position

Statement

Feb 2021

1st Draft

Regional

Plan

August

2021

Technical Programme Elements Delivery

Co-creation Planning Conferences

Funding applications

Individual and collective stakeholder engagement

Further Strategic Advisory &

Consultation Group

meetings

Dates tbc

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How to find out more and keep in touch

[email protected]

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Becoming a member of WRE

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• Membership is free

• All we ask for is guarantee of £1 via a Membership Application Letter (only payable if the company winds up…..)

• Electronically please at the moment…..

• We then ask for your active participation in our work (including signing off the Business Plan, co-creating the Regional Plan, attendance at Strategic Advisory Group meetings and the AGM)

Thank you

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[email protected]

[email protected]



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Water Resources East · Find out more at waterresourceseast.com The way forward for Water Resources East Our Strategic Priorities Strategic Priority 4: Provide quality assured, academically