Our role in the Government’s Green Recovery initiative As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Green Recovery is central to the Government’s plans to get the country back on its feet. Like other water companies, Severn Trent has been challenged to play its part. Our response included an ambitious package of investments aimed at delivering long-term, sustainable benefits for current and future generations in our region, through improving the environment and also creating jobs. These investments will make the Severn Trent region greener, safer, more resilient to climate change, and more prosperous. Our Green Recovery investments will directly create around 2,500 jobs in the Midlands at a time when employment, and getting people back into work, is vital for our region. Importantly, we’ll make these investments while keeping our bills affordable by raising new finance from investors. We estimate the cost to customers will be around £5 extra a year on average – so despite the big improvements we’re intending to make to everyone’s lives, our bills will still be one of the lowest in the country. The projects we’re planning will help us achieve six goals: Green Recovery Project 2: More water for more customers Part of our response to the Government’s Green Recovery initiative Preparing for the future, we’re going to increase water supplies to meet a peak demand of 95 Ml/d – that’s enough to serve a city the size of Derby. We’ll do this in a carbon neutral way, and let other companies know how we’re doing it, supporting the water sector’s aim to be net zero by 2030. To achieve our goal, we’ll start using the abstraction licence we bought from a decommissioned power station at Rugeley, and upgrading two existing treatment works to accommodate new sources of water. This project will also help 3,000 financially stressed businesses save money, and reduce waste by retro-fitting grey water and smart storage systems, saving up to 4 Ml/d. All this extra water supply will increase resilience to hotter, drier summers and wetter winters, securing water resources for future generations. Plus, our work to achieve this will enhance 46 hectares of habitat, creating a net gain in biodiversity. Green Recovery Project 1: Rivers safe for swimming Part of our response to the Government’s Green Recovery initiative We’re going to make stretches of the River Leam and River Teme healthy enough to swim in. And we’ll pass on what we learn to other organisations, as part of our efforts to understand what it takes to achieve bathing quality rivers and also to ensure the UK’s rivers can achieve ‘good ecological status’. Reaching our goal will involve working with and encouring other parties in the catchments, such as farmers to prevent pollution getting into rivers. We’ll also install ozone effluent disinfection at three sewage treatment works, as well as building new storage and sewer capacity to help us reduce the environmental impact of around 25 storm overflows. This investment will create more leisure opportunities and improve wellbeing, deliver environmental benefits which includes enhanced biodiversity and healthier aquatic life. Green Recovery Project 3: Homes protected from flooding Part of our response to the Government’s Green Recovery initiative A key method for reducing flooding is a new ‘nature-based’ approach, which will create the first catchment-scale flood-resilient community. The trial is centred around the Mansfield area of Nottinghamshire, where we aim to store the equivalent of 58,000m3 of surface water in ‘blue-green’ infrastructure – a range of natural surface-flood defences, such as green embankments, rain gardens, drainage ponds, grassed areas and permeable hard paving. The project involves working collaboratively with a range of partners, such as with local councils, the communities, universities and environmental groups. We’re focusing on areas with high proportions of financially vulnerable customers, and aim to protect around 90,000 people. This work will also reduce the broader harm flooding brings to communities and create a more pleasant natural environment for local people to enjoy – including around 15 hectares of biodiversity-rich habitat. It will also improve water quality, by reducing the risk of storm overflows being triggered at around 20 discharges. Supporting the region Launching the Green Recovery Helping the UK thrive beyond the pandemic Helping the UK thrive beyond the pandemic Helping the UK thrive beyond the pandemic Helping the UK thrive beyond the pandemic Green Recovery Project 2: More water for more customers Part of our response to the Government’s Green Recovery initiative Preparing for the future, we’re going to increase water supplies to meet a peak demand of 95 Ml/d – that’s enough to serve a city the size of Derby. We’ll do this in a carbon neutral way, and let other companies know how we’re doing it, supporting the water sector’s aim to be net zero by 2030. To achieve our goal, we’ll start using the abstraction licence we bought from a decommissioned power station at Rugeley, and upgrading two existing treatment works to accommodate new sources of water. This project will also help 3,000 financially stressed businesses save money, and reduce waste by retro-fitting grey water and smart storage systems, saving up to 4 Ml/d. All this extra water supply will increase resilience to hotter, drier summers and wetter winters, securing water resources for future generations. Plus, our work to achieve this will enhance 46 hectares of habitat, creating a net gain in biodiversity. Green Recovery Project 1: Rivers safe for swimming Part of our response to the Government’s Green Recovery initiative We’re going to make stretches of the River Leam and River Teme healthy enough to swim in. And we’ll pass on what we learn to other organisations, as part of our efforts to understand what it takes to achieve bathing quality rivers and also to ensure the UK’s rivers can achieve ‘good ecological status’. Reaching our goal will involve working with and encouring other parties in the catchments, such as farmers to prevent pollution getting into rivers. We’ll also install ozone effluent disinfection at three sewage treatment works, as well as building new storage and sewer capacity to help us reduce the environmental impact of around 25 storm overflows. This investment will create more leisure opportunities and improve wellbeing, deliver environmental benefits which includes enhanced biodiversity and healthier aquatic life. Green Recovery Project 3: Homes protected from flooding Part of our response to the Government’s Green Recovery initiative A key method for reducing flooding is a new ‘nature-based’ approach, which will create the first catchment-scale flood-resilient community. The trial is centred around the Mansfield area of Nottinghamshire, where we aim to store the equivalent of 58,000m3 of surface water in ‘blue-green’ infrastructure – a range of natural surface-flood defences, such as green embankments, rain gardens, drainage ponds, grassed areas and permeable hard paving. The project involves working collaboratively with a range of partners, such as with local councils, the communities, universities and environmental groups. We’re focusing on areas with high proportions of financially vulnerable customers, and aim to protect around 90,000 people. This work will also reduce the broader harm flooding brings to communities and create a more pleasant natural environment for local people to enjoy – including around 15 hectares of biodiversity-rich habitat. It will also improve water quality, by reducing the risk of storm overflows being triggered at around 20 discharges. Green Recovery Project 4: Leadership on removing lead Part of our response to the Government’s Green Recovery initiative Customer-owned supply pipes are a hidden financial and health liability for many people. Over 40% of households don’t have the savings to fix a burst pipe, and up to half of all pipes could contain lead – which the World Health Organisation warns is unsafe at any level in drinking water. Instead of adding more chemicals to reduce the lead, we’re going to fix the problem at the source. In an ambitious pilot, we’ll work with plumbers to replace the pipes in 25,000 homes across Coventry. We’ll also replace around 1,000 lead and leaking pipes in a smaller, rural community in Shropshire. Through this trial, we want to show how to tackle this national problem, and how we can avoid chemical use. We’ll also reduce leaks by around a million litres a day, as around 25% of leaks come from these customer-owned pipes. We’ll prioritise areas we work with based on lead risk, estimated leakage and deprivation. This will mean trialling lead-detection technology and new pipe-replacement techniques. Green Recovery Project 6: Faster environmental improvements Part of our response to the Government’s Green Recovery initiative We’ll support environmental improvements to 500km of river, by fulfilling more quickly our Water Framework Directive statutory obligations and speeding up improvements to storm overflows. Overall, this will involve 35 additional phosphate-removal projects, extra monitoring and investigative measures at 150 sewer overflows, and fast-tracking improvements at 100 overflows. We’ll upgrade chemical dosing and invest in new technologies to enhance the removal of tertiary solids. Where possible, we’ll use chemical-free methods, such as enhanced biological phosphate removal and, in some cases, constructed wetlands. We’ll also increase storm overflow monitoring to 100% and improve IT to achieve almost real-time public reporting of sewer overflows. Other measures will include raising weir heights and increasing pump capacity on short-duration, low-volume sewer overflows. A wide range of environmental improvements will result from these measures. In particular, we’ll see aquatic wildlife thrive. And taking this opportunity to contribute to the Green Recovery means we’ll be seeing these benefits five years earlier than we would have done otherwise. Green Recovery Project 5: Lower water consumption Part of our response to the Government’s Green Recovery initiative We’re rolling out a large-scale trial of 157,000 smart water meters across Coventry and surrounding areas in Warwickshire. In total, we’ll install 66,000 new meters and 91,000 replacements, mainly in water-stressed areas. These will help us reduce peak-time demand as customers use water more efficiently, while also helping us reduce leakage by enough to supply a town the size of Market Harborough (population over 22,000). Through this project, we’ll raise awareness of water efficiency, making customers more conscious of the environmental impact of their usage and of unchecked leaks. The smart meters will help them save water, while saving money on their water bills. We’ll also be able to target high users during periods of high demand, reducing interruptions for all customers. Smart meters will also improve our data capture, giving us a better understanding of our water balance. Perhaps most importantly, with these savings, we’ll reduce the need for future investment in water resources – a Government objective for the whole country.