Broad Oak reservoir to be progressed under RAPID
In its draft determination of 2025 to 2030 water company business plans, Ofwat has confirmed that South East Water’s plans to build a new reservoir in Broad Oak, near Canterbury, will be progressed through the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) gated process.
This comes as RAPID introduces more flexibility into its framework, so more water resource schemes can be included in the process for AMP8. For the first time, strategically important schemes do not have to involve two or more water companies to be included in the RAPID programme.
This means Broad Oak reservoir will join several major projects in South East England that have dedicated funding in AMP7 and AMP8 to progress detailed investigations and prepare them for planning and delivery.
RAPID is an alliance between Ofwat, the Environment Agency and the Drinking Water Inspectorate, designed to facilitate progress and overcome potential regulatory barriers.
Technical Director at Water Resources South East (WRSE), Meyrick Gough, explains the importance of Kent’s new reservoir to the region and what Ofwat’s announcement means for the scheme.
Broad Oak reservoir, near Canterbury, Kent, has been part of South East Water’s plans for decades, but climate change, population growth and significant abstraction reduction targets means now is the time to press ahead and make the plans a reality.
South East Water supplies 141,000 households and businesses in East Kent with drinking water, which comes from groundwater held in naturally occurring chalk aquifers – but by 2035, this is set to grow by 18 per cent up to 167,000 properties.
With a growing population comes increasing demand for tap water, so our regional plan for the South East sets out to not only meet this demand but make sure we leave enough water in the environment too.
This is particularly important in the south east, which is home to many of the world’s 200 chalk streams, including the Great Stour which runs through East Kent.
Chalk streams are in global decline due to climate change with some suffering from over-abstraction. They are fed by baseflow from aquifers, which are also the main source of drinking water for the south east.
South East England is one of the driest parts of the country and is classed as seriously water-stressed by the Environment Agency.
By 2035, in East Kent, an additional 28 million litres of drinking water per day will be required, rising to almost 86 million litres per day by 2050 .
Plans for the reservoir have featured consistently in South East Water’s WRMP in recent years and is required from 2035 to reduce the amount of water it takes from groundwater which supports rare chalk stream habitats. Once built, it will increase resilience of tap water supplies, offer environmental protection and provide added societal benefits.
The reservoir will be used in conjunction with the existing groundwater sources to capture excess water when supplies are plentiful and enable groundwater sources to be rested during the summer when the environment is already under pressure.
During winter months, when flows on the Great Stour permit, excess river water can be abstracted and pumped into Broad Oak reservoir – while the aquifer recharges and continues to provide baseflow to the chalk stream.
Holding up to five billion litres, Broad Oak will supply up to 22 million litres of water a day to approximately 40,000 homes in East Kent, including the historic city of Canterbury.
Once built, Broad Oak will be of a similar size to South East Water’s Ardingly Reservoir in West Sussex and has the potential to become a wildlife haven, provide leisure and recreational opportunities for residents, and leave more water in precious chalk streams.
It is one of five reservoirs put forward by the regional plan and one of three designed to relieve pressure on local chalk streams.
But it is only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to safeguarding water supplies and the environment for generations to come. Water companies will drive down leakage and support business and household customers to reduce their water use, to complement the new resources being built and pave the way for necessary abstraction reductions.
When considering options to balance water supply and demand, our regional plan considers the amount of water available in the environment, the geology of the landscape, and social and environmental factors.
Rather than selecting the cheapest option, our regional planning process offers the best value solution. This refers to options that provide additional benefits to customers, society, and the environment and will deliver the greatest overall value by considering factors like environmental improvements, resilience to drought, and long-term sustainability.
We also support government plans to introduce mandatory water labelling, build more water-efficient homes and set minimum standards for future water-using products.
The benefit of a regional planning approach is we can consider all options and find the best solution to each water deficit, without being constrained to company boundaries.
