Later this week the London Assembly’s Environment Committee will discuss how the capital’s water is managed with representatives of Thames Water - on Thursday the Committee will be questioning Richard Aylard, Thames Water’s External Affairs and Sustainability Director, about the management of London’s water supply.

With the average Londoner using 167 litres of water each day, managing the capital’s water is a major challenge.  The Committee will be seeking to establish whether Thames Water is doing enough to plan for periods of low rainfall, tackle leakage, cut water usage, and provide efficient systems to deal with sewage. It will also be seeking clarification on the justification for Thames Water's request to Ofwat for an increase in customer bills.

Thames Water wants to increase bills for 2014/15 by about £29 on average, however Ofwat has said the evidence does not justify this level of increase^[. Assembly Members will question the company about the planned bill increase and what it plans to do in light of Ofwat’s draft decision.

Thames Water has said the increase is needed to address unexpected levels of bad debt associated with the economic downturn, to cover costs incurred from taking over lengths of sewer from private households and businesses, and to fund the £4 billion Thames Tideway Tunnel.

The Committee will also ask about longer-term water management plans such as what steps are being taken to improve water efficiency in London’s homes and businesses, to reduce the loss of treated water from leaking pipes across the distribution network and to manage rainwater drainage, including the Thames Tideway Tunnel.

Last year, an Assembly report - Water Matters – Efficient water management in London’ - revealed around a quarter of London’s treated drinking water is lost through leakage, despite improvements by water companies.  In addition, uncertainties about future levels of rainfall, an increasing population and the effects of climate change are placing more pressure on precious water supplies. London’s population is expected to grow from about 8 million now to 9 million or more by 2031.

Murad Qureshi AM, Chair of the London Assembly Environment Committee, said:

“Many of us take it for granted that when we turn on the tap, or flush the loo, water will flow, but treating and supplying water to thousands of Londoners is a major challenge, with financial and environmental costs.

“We want to hear from Thames Water about how it is managing London’s water supply and what it is doing to try to keep costs down for the customers in these tough economic times.”

The meeting can be viewed via webcast.