We produce our Drought Plan every five years. The Plan sets out how we will manage our water resources in response to drought events. Our Plan covers both South West Water and Bournemouth Water supply areas following the merger in April 2016.
For the first time, our Plan also covers the Isles of Scilly which became part of our supply area in April 2020. Given their unique and remote situation, this Plan includes the Isles of Scilly as a separate draft document.
The Plan is prepared in accordance with guidelines issued by the Environment Agency. It describes how we intend to maintain water supply to our customers in the event of a drought. It also explains how we would aim to balance the needs of our domestic and commercial customers, the economy, and the environment.
Our new Draft Drought Plan was published for public consultation on 8 June 2021. We considered all feedback received when producing our Final Drought Plan, which Defra granted us permission to publish.
No information has been excluded from this Plan on the grounds of national security.
The Final Drought Plan 2022 for South West Water and Bournemouth water, our Draft Drought Plan for the Isles of Scilly and a Non-Technical Summary can be viewed below:
Alternatively, paper copies of the Drought Plan are available for public inspection at our head office:
Considering the extremely dry weather we experienced in 2022, we will review our Drought Plan and prepare and publish a revised plan following engagement with the Environment Agency and re-consultation. This will reflect the completion of our environmental assessment (HRA) work and response on the Lower Avon for the Bournemouth region and will include appropriate updates to reflect other material changes that are the result of taking actions to address the drought affecting Devon and Cornwall this summer.