South East Water has published its 2010/11 Environmental and Social Achievements Report, which outlines how the business is working towards achieving sustainability in all its water supply operations across Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, Berkshire and Surrey .

The 2010/11 report outlines a number of key milestones including:

• Delivering £83 million worth of investment in its water supply infrastructure – a 39% increase in investment compared to the previous year;
• How an exceptionally cold Winter and severe snowfall was followed by a warm Spring and low rainfall – which then saw demand for water peak in July 2010 when customers used 720 million litres of water in one day;
• The roll-out of a customer metering programme, which will see 200,000 meters installed over the next four years.

Paul Seeley, Asset Director at South East Water, said:

“We operate in a region which is not only officially designated as water-stressed, but also has some of the most protected countryside, large parts of which now form the new South Downs National Park.

“We recognise that good, effective environmental management must be at the heart of all our water supply operations, which is why it is embedded into all aspects of our work. This report demonstrates how we manage that environmental risk and sets out our performance and success during what was a challenging year.”

The report also shows how South East Water has, for the first time, assessed the whole of its five-year investment programme to take into account environmental risk. As a result, it has ensured enough time is built into any investment schemes which will be undertaken in areas with high environmental sensitivities.

Click here to download the report in full.