Summary
In June 2019, Ofwat, the Water Services Regulation Authority, was ready to respond to the April 2019 revised submission of the 2020-2025 Water Management Plan of Thames Water Utility Ltd (TW). In September 2018, TW had submitted the first draft of the Water Management Plan and Ofwat had responded on January 31, 2019, with TW responding back in April 2019.
The response of Ofwat would determine how the company should proceed with its proposed sustainability and resilience plan. Was it effective? Was it efficient? What would be the financial implications on the water bills to Thames Water’s consumers, the residents of most of London and the Thames Valley? Was the proposed plan justified and how would it be perceived by the public opinion?
According to the working definitions of the Zofnass Program:
• “Sustainability improves the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of supporting eco-systems.” IUCN/UNEP/WWF. Caring for the Earth: A Strategy for Sustainable Living. (Gland, Switzerland: 1991).
• Resilience is the ability to handle and bounce back on anticipated or unexpected stresses and shocks.
According to the US Corp of Engineers, “a sustainable project must be resilient; a resilient project is not necessarily sustainable.”
Research director
Prof. Spiro Pollalis
Research core team
Eleonora Marinou, Research Associate
Case study written by
Eleonora Marinou, Research Associate
