The BHS Pennines Section presents current hydrological research carried out by PhD students at Newcastle University. The sessions are aimed at members from across the country, on a range of topics.
Speaker: Ali Leonard
Water shortage poses an existential risk for society as well as species and habitats. Water resources planning helps to alleviate the risk of running out. However, as we move further into the 21st century, climate change, population growth, and sustainable abstraction limits may tip the balance between supply and demand into the red zone, where we face water deficits, or as Sir James Bevan described, “the jaws of death”.
Planning to ensure our water resources are resilient against these pressures is challenging and poses many questions. One question that stands out as central to others, and the focus of this research project, is, what is a suitable scale to conduct water resources planning at?
Recently in England, a more strategic approach to “meet the national need” has emerged in response to calls to increase resilience, and in light of recent failures by water companies to gain consent for large new infrastructure assets. The new approach requires private water companies to work together as well as alongside other stakeholders and the water regulators creating a need for better alignment, cooperation, and resourcing. Regional groups have been established to help structure this collaboration.
The change represents a significant challenge for the privatised and regulated water industry that has evolved locally and heterogeneously within different physical and company contexts. Using interviews, observations of meetings between key actors and document reviews, we are analysing whether the scale of governance and new institutional arrangements are suited to the problems they face, and how they compare with arrangements elsewhere.