I met Thames Water at Conference to review progress with handling surface water, waste water and future drinking water supply.
Thames said they were making good progress with reducing leaks and installing meters which cut demand. They expected to need a new large reservoir at Abingdon in due course, as a rising population will need more water despite measures to cut waste and to manage demand.
I am all in favour of making good provision for water, and do not want water to be rationed by high prices and restricted supply as it is a necessity for us all.
I asked them to work with Wokingham Borough and West Berkshire on ensuring surface water can be handled when there is persistent and heavy rain. Above all we need to avoid more cases where surface water swells the levels in waste water systems to the point where they overflow.
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