Regulators for the water companies in England and Wales have issued guiding principles for the water industry in drawing up drainage and wastewater management plans (DWMPs).

The guiding principles were written by Defra, the Welsh Government, Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales and Ofwat. They set out the priorities and expectations against which both the governments and regulators will assess the DWMPs.

The water industry is producing strategic drainage and wastewater plans to maintain, improve and extend robust and resilient drainage and wastewater systems.

The water and sewerage companies must produce DWMPs which must cover a minimum of 25 years and look at current and future capacity, pressures, and risks to their networks such as climate change and population growth.

The DWMPs must also set out the detail of how companies will manage these pressures and risks through their business plans and how they will work with other risk management authorities or drainage asset owners.

The guidance seeks to provide water and sewerage companies, other risk management authorities and drainage asset owners and managers with a general checklist document which will assist them by setting out what the governments and regulators expect to be included in the plans.

The guidance says DWMPs are expected to meet the following 6 key principles:

• Be comprehensive, evidence based and transparent in assessing, as far as possible, current capacity and actions needed in 5, 10 and minimum 25-year periods considering risks and issues such as climate change. Plans should also align, as far as possible, with other strategic and policy planning tools.
• Strive to deliver resilient systems - that will meet operational and other pressures and minimise system failures.
• Consider the impact of drainage systems on immediate and wider environmental outcomes including habitats and in developing options for mitigation to include consideration of environmental net gain and enhancement
• Be collaborative - recognising the importance of sectors working together to consider current and future risks and needs and to deliver effective solutions, setting out how they will do this, how they have engaged with and responded to stakeholders.
• Show leadership - in considering the big picture for an organisation’s operational capacity to develop and deliver the plan, and mindful of linkages with other strategic planning frameworks.
• Improve customer outcomes and awareness and that solutions and actions provide both value for money and consider societal benefits

The production of DWMPs will be made statutory through the Environment Act. The water companies will need to produce draft plans for consultation in 2022 and final plans in 2023.

The plans are currently in their first 5-year cycle and are being produced on a non-statutory basis for early 2023 in England and Wales.

Click here to access the guidance in full