South West Water commit to be ‘water fit’ by 2040

South West Water published their draft Drainage and Wastewater Management Plan (DWMP) in June 2022. They consulted on the plan across the region, listening to views from customers and stakeholders who told the company that they wanted them to prioritise the challenge of storm overflows as soon as practicable.
South West Water heard what customers and stakeholders said and have amended the final plan to reflect these views. As a result, the company’s final DWMP sets out a delivery plan for storm overflows to meet the Government’s expectations by 2040, a decade faster than the target of 2050.
The Government defined a timetable of deliverables for the water industry. This states that by 2050 all companies must meet the specific targets for ecological harm, bathing waters, shellfish areas and that all storm overflows would be reduced to no more than 10 spills per annum.
John Halsall, COO of South West Water, said: “We have listened to our customers and stakeholders and this is another example of how serious we are about reducing our use of storm overflows and investing responsibly to reduce our impact on the environment. We want our customers to have a water company they are proud of, and this is one of many steps we are taking to help rebuild trust, over time, by taking action.”
DWMPs are long-term plans that outline how the company intends to approach and manage sewerage and wastewater in the region over the next 25 years. South West Water has set out how they will evolve their water recycling system into one that future generations can be proud of and will:
Protect people, homes and businesses from flooding;
Support tourism and the long-term economic health of the region;
Increase the use of nature-based solutions, innovating to protect our unique environment and reducing our carbon footprint;
Eradicate pollutions and the damage caused by plastics, fats and wet wipes for the long-term benefit of all.
This comes alongside the announcement from Pennon Group, who own South West Water,
Bristol Water and Bournemouth Water, regarding their plans to invest a record £750 million in the South West over the next two years.
The investment will focus on building new water resources and reservoirs, reducing usage of storm overflows, and increasing the use of renewable energy, benefiting communities across the South West region.
The plans will see Pennon, the region's biggest private sector employer, add 200 new colleagues to its 3,000-strong workforce. Most of the spend will be with local suppliers and contractors. This follows a year of record investment, up by over 50% over 2022/23, which was also targeted at environmental improvements and new water resources.
As well as delivering on its existing environmental commitments, the Group will devote much of the increased spending over the next two years to tackling some of the region’s biggest challenges, including:
£100 million to reducing releases from storm overflows down to an average of 20 per year by 2025, including prioritised investment at 49 at designated bathing waters;
£125 million to new water resources and two desalination plants in Cornwall to secure the long-term water security of the region;
£160 million to accelerate Net Zero 2030 commitments, including a c.£35 million investment in a renewable energy generation site in Dunfermline, and c.£25 million in increasing battery storage capacity;
Doubling Pennon’s apprenticeship and graduate schemes to 1,000 by 2030, along with offering 5,000 work placement opportunities over the same period.
The spending programme will provide a substantial boost to the South West’s economy with the creation of hundreds of new jobs at Pennon, as well as benefiting the wider supply chain across the region.
This major investment enjoys the support of Pennon’s shareholders who include more than 1,500 Pennon employees, many thousands of customers, as well as UK pension funds and charities, who invest over the long term in return for a sustainable income via a responsible and fair dividend policy.
Susan Davy, Chief Executive of Pennon Group, said: “Today, we are committing to going further and faster in the investments we are making across the South West over the next two years.
“We had already planned to increase spending to £400 million over the period. Now, having listened to our customers, many of whom are shareholders, we are going much bigger.
“We have two key objectives that require heavy investment: more water resources at a time of increasing population and lower rainfall; and reducing storm overflows and the impact they cause on the environment. That’s why we are announcing our plans today to invest over £750 million across the region over the next two years in these vital areas. 
“We know there is much more to be done. Our shareholders have fully endorsed our commitment to invest record amounts to improve our environment.”