Foreword by , Chair, Environment Agency Huge pressure already exists on the nation's water resources and, with population growth and climate change, that pressure is set to continue and steadily increase. Estimates suggest that, without continued action, we could have a 5 billion litre a day shortfall by 2055 for public water supplies alone. Apart from the threat to water supply to homes, growing pressure could restrict economic growth, damage resilience for energy supplies, limit food production and harm the environment. The National Framework for Water Resources identifies the essential actions needed to meet the challenges at a national, regional and catchment scale. It builds on the foundations of the 2020 Framework and takes further steps to strengthen multi-sector water resources planning. As a nation, it is paramount that we tackle these challenges head-on. It is crucial that we deliver large-scale and co-ordinated action and unlock more opportunities to address pressures on the water environment from unsustainable abstraction. Continued and sustained effort from government, from regulators and action from regional groups, water companies, abstractor groups and water users across all sectors is critical. Action includes resource development, both at a strategic and local scale, and a joined-up, solutions-led approach between sectors. The Framework also clearly identifies that an enhanced focus on delivering demand management savings is vital - particularly in the period before new supplies are ready for use. This Framework does chart a course whereby we can respond to that 5 billion litre a day challenge. By integrating catchment management and seizing opportunities to work collaboratively, we can deliver improved water supply resilience and create a better environment. But it needs to start right now. Foreword by , Independent Chair of the National Framework In 2020 the first National Framework for Water Resources was current predictions indicate there will be a further 8 million people living in England, requiring housing and new towns. Forecasts suggests that climate change will increase temperatures, driving demand for water on hotter days both for individual use but also for purposes like irrigation and cooling of computer data centres. Climate change is also likely to change the distribution and timing of rainfall, with warmer, wetter winters and hotter, drier summers. Together, the impact of all these pressures on water resources is unprecedented. Never have so many people and so many sectors critical to the functioning of society placed such a demand on our water resources, at a time when nature and the environment are reliant on that water to cope with a changing climate. In this second National Framework for Water Resources, refined and improved modelling of scenarios of population growth, climate change and environmental sustainability reductions demonstrate that without action there could be a deficit of up to 5 billion litres a day by 2055 for public water supplies. That is almost enough water to fill Wembley Stadium 4.5 times each day. A demand of a further 1 billion litres per day is likely to be required by other sectors of use. Addressing these deficits can only be achieved if we plan across sectors, push forward resource options and demand management and deliver as soon as possible. The first National Framework for Water Resources set out the enormity of the scale of challenge that awaits us with demand for water outstripping supply and provided a new regional structure to begin tackling this problem. There have been major changes and advancements in developing the pathway to close the water deficit, including the establishment of the Regulators' Alliance of the Progression of Infrastructure Development ( RAPID ) and the These step forwards have improved our knowledge and understanding of the factors contributing to the water deficit and refined and improved modelling techniques and data, as well as additional regulatory asks, have increased the scale of the deficit to 5,000 mega litres a day. Despite this, we are in a much stronger position to address and reduce this gap due to the work of many groups, companies and organisations working collaboratively over the last 5 years. The ambition and delivery on both new resources and demand management must not slip and must continue to be implemented to ensure the resilience and security of water supplies. This new National Framework for Water Resources describes the next steps that need to be taken to build on the work that has already been done and how planning of water in all sectors needs to change. These steps include: as part of the Environment Agency's strategic overview of water resources across all sectors of use, the Environment Agency will continue to assess the scale of the national challenge regional water resources groups will develop multi-sector water resources plans and facilitate the delivery of collaborative solutions regulators, particularly through RAPID , will help to evaluate proposed solutions and to help facilitate the identification of new options the Environment Agency will continue and upscale our engagement with other water using sectors to understand their needs and issues and facilitate early engagement with the water sector and Regional Groups the Environment Agency will support the enhancement of the local tier of water resources planning such as Water Abstractor Groups and Catchment Partnerships to better enable delivery and we will continue to work through the National Framework to enable more effective collaboration. With a sustainable supply of water in the right places we have an opportunity to create a stronger economy, a cleaner source of energy, a healthier and thriving environment and a supply of affordable water for all. We need to act now to take this opportunity, and we must all work together to achieve it. If we can do this, we will be the creators of a more resilient, healthier environment and a greener, stronger economy for years to come. Navigating the National Framework The structure of the National Framework for Water Resources is as follows.
Section 1: Introduction In this section we set out the role and objectives of the National Framework for Water Resources, as well as the structure and benefits of regional and local water resource planning and the wider legislative context in which the National Framework sits. Go to 1. Introduction . Section 2: Current and future pressures on water resources In this section we set out the drivers of the additional pressures on water resources which include environmental sustainability and the need to protect the environment and nature, an increased population and the associated demands of a larger population such as more water for appliances and energy, an improved water supply resilience in times of drought so water companies need to plan to be resilient to a drought which has a 0.2% chance of occurring, climate change which is increasing the likelihood of hot summers and changing rainfall patterns, and land use pressures including the need for housing and increased tree cover. This section also includes the scenarios we have used in modelling the impact of the public water supply pressures and how these pressures drive the deficit, and how we have approached non-public water supply needs using recent actual abstraction data. We also recognise the need for adaptive planning as events unfold differently to what we have forecasted and expect regional groups and water companies to plan accordingly for example by using a range of future scenarios and pathways and developing monitoring plans to track progress. Go to 2. Current and future pressures on water resources: an overview . Section 3: How much additional water do we need In Section 3 we set out that by 2055 England will need up to an additional 5 billion litres of water per day for public water supply, the equivalent of filling up Wembley Stadium almost 4.5 times every day. This has increased since the 2020 National Framework for Water Resources due to updated demand forecasts and additional reductions for the environment. This section includes the breakdown of forecasted water needs by each regional group and the range of water supply deficits under the modelled scenarios. This section covers future estimates of non-public water needs, which shows that the total additional consumptive water requirements for other sectors by 2050 could be 1,090 Ml/d . We include further information on the Environmental Destination and the need for additional water to meet environmental targets and ambitions, including both legal requirements and government commitments. For public water supplies, this could drive a need for additional options to ensure that water remains in the environment. Today's baseline environmental needs are 60% of the challenge - 3,200 Ml/d (current legal requirements). By the 2050s this might rise to 5,400 Ml/d (full government environmental expectations and predicted climate change). Of this, water company abstraction accounts for 90% of the reduction needed. With actions included in 24 ( WRMP24 ), we expect the size of the challenge to reduce to 2,700 Ml/d . Go to 3. How much additional water we need . Section 4: Water availability In this section we set out the current and potential future availability of abstracting water directly from the environment from surface water, with forecasts indicating a lack of available surface water across much of the South East and East. Abstraction from groundwater is likely to be subject to greater vulnerability as hotter, drier summers may shorten the recharge season. Water availability from public water supplies is under pressure. If planned WRMP24 actions have been delivered and national reduction targets have been met, by 2055 there would still be deficits observed in a number of water resource zones in the South East, East and Midlands. Go to 4. Water availability . Section 5: Taking action - water for the environment In this section we set out the positive action taken to retain water in the environment and plans to build on this through the delivery of the Environmental Destination and to move towards sustainable abstraction. Where changes are needed to ensure that abstraction is environmentally sustainable, we will act with confidence to put timely solutions in place, and we will seek to do this in conjunction with abstractors and stakeholders. Sometimes, the solution may involve a change to the abstraction licence volumes or conditions to ensure that the environment is protected. Through the ( WINEP ), water companies have a mechanism for evaluating options for achieving the sustainable abstraction outcomes that are needed. For abstractions not included in this programme, we encourage regional water resources groups and water abstractor groups (across all sectors) to work collaboratively with abstractors to identify alternative solutions. We highlight the use of nature-based solutions to support resilience to floods and droughts, action needed to protect chalk streams and the need for water for wetting peatland to support the storage of carbon. Go to 5. Taking action: water for the environment . Section 6: Taking action - public water supplies In this section we examine the action the water industry must take to deliver a secure, resilient, environmentally sustainable supply of water and how it must continue at pace to deliver both demand reduction and supply options. Water company water resources management plans now contain solutions, many of which are being This includes investment to progress with actions to reduce demand plus actions which will pave the way for 10 new reservoirs, 1 reservoir enlargement, 9 water transfer schemes, 2 desalination schemes and 1 minewater treatment scheme. This is being It is essential that these large infrastructure schemes are delivered. More new options need to be identified and assessed as a key element of the adaptive planning process. This is to allow for future flexibility should there be additional demands or should schemes deliver less water than planned or later than intended. This also includes exploration of additional options such as water recycling, reused water for non-potable purposes and grey and .
Demand management is essential for the current and future management of water resources, helping to drive down leakage and improve household, business and industry, and public sector water efficiency. It is critical in the short term, given the long lead-time for strategic resource development. By 2049-50, reduction in water consumption and leakage is expected to address over 65% of the supply demand balance deficit across England. Not only is the level of reduction ambitious, but the pace of change needed is vital. We examine the role of leakage, water efficiency labelling and water use in buildings. We look at how government is working with Ofwat on rollouts to enable customers to make more informed choices about their water usage. In this section we also cover the public water supply used by non households such as businesses and the public sector. Non-households are a major user of water with around 20% of water put into supply by water companies classed as non-household water use. To enable a thriving economy, we must plan to meet the water needs for new businesses, the expansion of existing businesses and public services that support housing. We are progressing work on an options appraisal framework for water resources planning. The project will propose a decision-making framework Go to 6. Taking action: public water supplies . Section 7: Taking action - water for energy In this section we cover the need of water for energy production, particularly in support of commitments to decarbonisation, and the need for water in hydrogen and nuclear production. Work carried out for the Environment Agency estimates that the water needs for carbon capture and storage and hydrogen production alone may amount to 767 Ml/d by 2050. The section also highlights actions that need to be taken by the energy sector, such as identifying and evaluating suitable options to meet future water needs and improving water efficiency in production methods. We also examine recommendations to start to dismantle barriers to collaborative planning between the water and energy sectors. Go to 7. Taking action: water for energy . Section 8: Taking action - water for food Secure and reliable water supplies are vital for food production, food security and to support the economy. We want to support the agriculture sector in effectively engaging in water resource planning and support the promotion of water abstractor groups. In this section we cover the local resource option studies which look to create a pathway for the delivery of water resource solutions, such as sharing of water rights and multi-ownership reservoirs. We also set out the potential role of smart farming and how this technology can be used. Go to 8. Taking action: water for food . Section 9: Taking action - other significant water using sectors and emerging demands In this section we set out the issues facing other water using sectors in times of water scarcity and barriers to the implementation of greater water efficiency in those sectors. The section also covers the need and use of water for navigation, the chemical industry, data centres and artificial intelligence ( AI ), health and wellbeing, and flood alleviation. All of these sectors are dependent upon a secure and sustainable supply of water, and we set out how we plan to continue to work with these sectors as they work toward improved water resource awareness and planning. Go to 9. Taking action: other significant water using sectors and emerging demands . Section 10: Water resources planning and abstraction licensing In this section we cover how we allocate water rights through the Environment Agency's abstraction and impoundment licensing system, and as water becomes more scarce developing a policy on deciding to whom the available water should be allocated when there are conflicting demands, which we plan to consult on in 2025. We set out the potential for water rights trading and water rights sharing and their importance. We want to move more towards near real time management of water resources through dynamic catchment management and we set out what needs to be done for this to happen, for example significant investment in monitoring. Go to 10. Water resources planning and abstraction licensing . Section 11: Expectations of this section we look to build on the successes of and set out our high-level expectations. This includes delivery of multi sector planning (subject to This is covered in more detail in to 11. Expectations of . Section 12: Further evolution of water resources planning We set out the improvements we have made to governance arrangements, and the steps we are taking towards the use of common planning scenarios, future These are actions which are likely to happen regardless of recommendations made in the review of the water industry by Sir . Go to 12. Further evolution of water resources planning .