Across the Pond: Thames Valley Water Management Plan

Thames Water Utilities has published the Thames Valley water management plan, a 25-year drainage and wastewater management plan focused on a nature-based approach to stormwater management.

With the population of London and the Thames Valley region predicted to grow by an additional 2.5 million people by 2050, Thames Water Utilities Ltd, known as Thames Water, has mapped a nature-based infrastructure strategy for managing sewage discharge and flooding. As development and demand increases and turf lands decline, the goals of the long-range Thames River water management project include minimizing the risk of sewer flooding to homes and reducing storm discharges.

Thames Water’s Drainage and Wastewater Management Plan 2025-2050 (DWMP) prioritizes the delivery of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) to over 70km² of land in London. The report, which can be viewed or downloaded, outlines a “long-term costed plan that’s focused on partnership working and sets out the future risks and pressures for our drainage and wastewater systems.”

The DWMP addresses “actions that are required to make sure we (Thames Water) can continue delivering our services reliably and sustainably, while also achieving positive outcomes for our customers, communities, and environment.”

Thames Water estimates that £31.9bn will be required over the next 25 years to achieve the initiatives outlined in the DWMP. The project is being executed in tandem with a £1.6bn program announced this past February to modernize sewage infrastructure and improve river health over the next two years. These plans include upgrading over 250 sewage treatment works and sewers in London and the Thames Valley.