Dwr Cymru Welsh Water
Dwr Cymru Welsh Water is the sixth largest of the ten regulated water and sewerage
companies in England and Wales. More than 3 million people rely on us every day for a
safe and reliable supply of tap water - and then to take away their wastewater for
cleaning before it is returned to our rivers and coastal waters which are among the best
in the UK. Safe drinking water and effective sanitation and safeguarding our
environment from pollution are essential public services. We employ just over 1,700
staff and together we look after today’s customers and future generations a network of
long-lived assets that would cost £25 billion to replace.
Glas Cymru
Just over 10 years ago the ownership of Welsh Water transferred to Glas Cymru, a
company limited by guarantee. This remains a unique ownership structure and means
that the water industry in Wales and those adjoining parts of England served by Welsh
Water is funded, managed and operated on behalf of customers. Without shareholders,
all profits are retained and reinvested for the benefit of both today’s customers and
future generations. In the recent past Welsh Water has topped industry league tables
for overall performance and the Board has set targets that will make Welsh Water one
of the leading companies in the sector for all the measures that matter for customers
and for safeguarding our environment.
Balancing the cost of ensuring that we achieve the highest possible level of
environmental protection as well as meeting rising standards for environmental quality
with affordability is one of our biggest challenges. While our sewerage bill remains
third highest in the regulated water industry, our water bill is now 3% lower than
average having been 21% higher than average in the year before Glas Cymru took over
the ownership of Welsh Water. Household incomes in Wales are lower than elsewhere
and we now support more than 37,000 of our least well off customers with a range of
assistance tariffs and other help. Affordability matters but so does high quality and
reliable drinking water as well as a safe and pollution free environment. Wales
currently has the best rivers and coastal waters in England and Wales – and, for
instance, securing a third of the Blue Flags awarded to all of the UK for the 2011
summer season is a key achievement for “Wales plc”.
The remit
Safeguarding our environment from pollution is one of our biggest responsibilities.
Likewise, our water abstractions and our operating activities more generally – and we
are one of the largest energy users in Wales - must be managed in a way that minimises
our environment impact. Balancing the need for a reliable and secure supply of water
with protecting the important ecology of our rivers, lakes and reservoirs is a particular
challenge. As is understanding and preparing for the expected impact of climate change
more widely. The water industry is “on the front line” when considering the expected
impact of climate change – with wetter winters and hotter drier summers putting
pressure on both our water resources position and our drainage systems which have to
protect properties from flooding and protect our rivers and coastal waters from
pollution. Our current configurations of assets – much of which has been in place for
many decades – was not designed to meet current high standards and expectations or to
deal with the greater variability of weather predicted as a result of climate change.
Adapting to climate change is a massive challenge for the company and leading on this
issue will be the responsibility of the Head of Environment.
Much of what we do is governed by a wide range of legal and regulatory requirements,
mostly deriving from a range of EU directives concerned with protecting and enhancing
our environment. The Head of Environment will be responsible for ensuring these
requirements are understood and appreciated by the company and we have plans and
operating regimes in place to deliver compliance. Equally important are the forward
looking and strategic requirements of the role which will involve engaging with policy
makers, regulators and other stakeholders to shape the future of the environment in
Wales and to ensure that the implications of different or higher standards are
understood widely and ways are found to secure the best possible result overall for our
environment. An ability to appreciate the technical and evidential basis for
environmental standards – both current and prospective - and position the company in
respect of that basis is a key requirement. Closely related to this is an ability to explain
the company’s position to a wide range of stakeholders, both within and outside the
company, including the Board and Members of Glas Cymru.
All of this is especially important given the very significant environmental agenda and
the large number of new requirements being placed upon the regulated water industry
in England and Wales over the coming years, including for example the Water
Framework Directive and the revised Bathing Water Directive. In addition, Welsh
Water’s compliance with existing legal requirements is being challenged and tested –
for example, in connection with the important shellfish waters around the coast of
Wales.
