Water resources
The water resource position of Welsh Water’s area of supply is relatively strong.
Around 95% of our water resources originate as surface water either from reservoir storage or river abstractions. We have very little dependence on groundwater supplies. This reliance on surface waters can increase vulnerability to short periods of low rainfall as river levels change more quickly than groundwaters.
All Welsh Water’s abstractions are licensed by Natural Resources Wales and the Environment Agency who are responsible for ensuring the sustainable use of water resources in Wales and England. These licences set the maximum volume and rate at which water can be abstracted each day throughout the year. Rivers in Wales have high ecological status and licences are set to ensure that this is maintained. Releases from Welsh Water’s reservoirs during dry spells help to maintain river flows.
Keep an eye on this page to see how levels change.
Water Resources Market Information
We publish water resources market information to enable third parties to propose solutions that support our long-term water resource planning. These may include options for supplying water, managing future demand, or delivering leakage reduction services. All proposals are assessed alongside our own in-house options as part of the development of our Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP).
Our supply area is divided into 23 Water Resource Zones (WRZs). Each WRZ represents the largest area within which water resources can be managed as a single system, and where customers experience a consistent level of supply risk. These zones form the strategic framework for assessing supply-demand balance and investment needs.
For each WRZ, the following are available:
- A spreadsheet containing detailed water resource data
- A downloadable GIS boundary file that defines the geographical extent of the zone
General content Our Water Resources Management Plan
To ensure that water is available to our customers when it is needed and in the quantity required, Welsh Water prepares and maintains a Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP), which forecasts over a 25 year period the supply and demand balance across our water supply area.
Our Drought Plan
To ensure we are able to manage water and maintain supplies during extremely hot and dry weather conditions, Welsh Water prepares and maintains a Drought Plan. This document sets out the key indicators of drought and the operational strategy, management structures and communications plan that would be implemented during a drought.