Protecting our water resources
Whether it’s the availability of water to meet demand, or the quality of the raw water we treat, our Water Resources team have it all in hand.
Types of water resources
When rain falls it’s our job to capture, store, transport and treat this precious resource. Our water resources are strictly managed to make sure we always have enough supply to match demand.
Below are some of the types of water resources that we manage.
Rivers
Reservoirs
We own 23 reservoirs in Devon and Cornwall. Reservoirs are incredibly important in keeping us sustainable. Some reservoirs have pipes running to the water treatment works to provide them with water all year round. Some of our reservoirs can also release water into rivers to allow us to abstract it for treatment works downstream.
Boreholes/Groundwater
When it rains, water seeps into the ground. Depending on the geology of an area, some of the water is held within the rocks – this is groundwater. We can access this water by pumping it up through boreholes. Some of it emerges from the ground as springs from which we capture water in chambers and pipes. Collected groundwater is sent to the treatment works for processing. This water source is particularly important for the Isles of Scilly and East Devon.
The Sea
On St Mary's, Isles of Scilly, the sea also acts as a source of water. There's a desalination plant there where seawater is treated to remove the salt. This water is then transported for final treatment at the water treatment works. We're excited about introducing desalination on the mainland and the other four islands on the Isles of Scilly.
Improvements we've made between 2022 and 2023
During the hosepipe ban, we were busy increasing the resilience of our water network to help better secure our water resources for the future. These are just some of the improvements we made during that time.
Water resources - Latest situation
Thank you for your efforts in saving water. Levels updated as of 17th March 2025.
Conserving the supply
Water is a precious resource. We don’t like wasting water, and we’re doing a lot of work to stop leakage and reduce our operational consumption of water.
Tackling leakage
With drones, listening sticks, satellites and more, we're out detecting and repairing leaks everyday.
Supporting documentation
Water resources market opportunites
Are you a water provider, leakage service or water source owner? Would you like to suggest a new solution to providing water or a way to manage our current water more effectively? We want to hear from you.
South West Water tackles sewer misconnections to protect the environment
Devon and Cornwall’s two biggest reservoirs hit 90% storage ahead of target
South West Water progresses plans to deliver desalination in Cornwall
