Water Resources Update - 8 March 2023

08th March 2023

David Harris, South West Water's Drought and Resilience Director, said: "The South West’s water resources are under immense and increasing pressure. Our current system relies heavily on rainfall, and climate change has shown us that we need to be developing climate-independent sources of water in Cornwall.

“With 860 miles of coastline, desalination is a logical option to explore and forms part of an additional £45 million investment we are making this year in new water resource schemes. This also includes bringing new water sources online such as Hawks Tor, a redundant china clay pit purchased in 2022, which has been converted into a new reservoir inside nine months.

“We continue to take every step necessary to manage water resources carefully, fixing leaks, investing in new capacity and planning for all possible outcomes. We are assessing potential desalination sites in Cornwall as part of this planning. These sites will be used alongside our wider supply network as and when required to support other sources.”