The average Londoner uses nearly 160 litres of water a day – saving just 10 per cent of this total, through easy measures, would fill an incredible 48 Olympic-sized swimming pools every day. With rising population, climate change and leaky Victorian pipes all putting pressure on our supply, the Mayor of London has today set out his plans to ensure our water resources for generations to come.

The Mayor’s draft water strategy outlines the many challenges that London faces: our population is expected to rise from 7.56m to 9.11 million by 2031, we face hotter summers due to climate change and our Victorian sewers overflow due to heavy rain, sending sewage gushing into the Thames up to 60 times each year.

We have enough water for London, but only if we use it wisely and effectively. As our population grows we face a choice of either becoming more water efficient and making the water we have go further, or having to commit to expensive solutions, such as a new reservoir, to meet our increasing demand, with additional costs on our bills. There are easy steps households can take to become more water efficient.

Over a quarter of our carbon emissions from our homes come from water use and so not only do we need to save the supplies we have, but being more water efficient will help cut our contribution to climate change in the future. The Mayor will be working with key partners such as the Environment Agency and Thames Water to address these challenges.

Proposals in the draft water strategy include:

The Mayor believes that we should waste less water – the water companies should fix the leaky pipes and work with the Mayor to help Londoners to become more water efficient through a London wide homes energy efficiency programme set to launch next year
The Mayor supports the building of the Thames Tideway tunnel under the Thames and the river Lee to greatly reduce discharges of sewage into the river and improve the quality of the water in the River Thames.
The Mayor will work with Thames Water and other partners to identify ways to use sewage to provide renewable energy and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.
We need to make our new homes as water efficient as possible. The Mayor believes that all new homes should meet Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes by 2012 and Level 6 by 2016. The Mayor will encourage rainwater harvesting, grey water recycling and sustainable drainage through planning policies in the new London Plan.
We need to greatly increase the water efficiency of our existing homes and the Mayor wants to support water companies to introduce complusory water metering in the capital.
The Mayor will encourage the utility companies to improve the public’s awareness of how to become more water efficient.
The Mayor, Boris Johnson, said: ‘It is easy to take our water, in the river Thames and in our taps for granted. It is a vital resource, which is under pressure from our expanding population and changing climate. Over a quarter of our climate change emissions from home actually come from the water we use and we can all do our bit to become more efficient in the way we use it.’

It is the Environment Agency’s responsibility to decide how much water is taken from the environment for people and business use, without compromising the environment.

Clive Coley, the Environment Agency’s Regional Strategy Manager for Thames, said: ‘We are very supportive of the proposals in the Mayor’s draft water strategy.

‘Water is precious – essential for people and the environment, but we face not having enough if we do not make changes now. By 2050, climate change could reduce the amount of water available by up to 15 per cent so everyone needs to consume less and be more efficient with the water that is used.

‘We welcome the Mayor’s proposals to increase water efficiency in both new and existing homes, and look forward to working closely with the GLA and other partners to ensure that there is a secure supply of water for Londoners now and in the future and that the environment remains protected.’

People expect to be able to turn on the tap and get water without having to think about where it comes from and to pull the plug and for it to drain away without worrying about what happens to it afterwards. The Mayor’s draft water strategy which is out for public consultation, considers both the water we want, for example drinking water and the water we don’t such as sewage and floodwater.

Key stats and facts:

Water use accounts for 27 per cent of carbon emissions from the home – 18 per cent from heating of water for baths, showers, hand washing and washing up and 9 per cent from water-using appliances such as washing machines.
The energy used to heat water for cleaning and bathing in our homes adds up to be 5 per cent of the total UK’s carbon emissions – that’s greater than aviation.
One third of London’s water mains are over 150 years old
In London 23 per cent of households have water meters
Household meters can reduce water use by between 10 and 15 per cent
Discharges of sewage into the Thames happen between 50 to 60 times a year.
Eight out of the ten warmest years on record have occurred since 1990.
If every Londoner reduced their daily shower time by just one minute, London could save over 29,500ML and 183,000t CO2 each year. That’s enough water to fill 25 Wembley stadiums.
We can all save 16 litres of water a day ( ten per cent of our water use):

Turn the tap off when you brush your teeth – saves 6 litres per minute
Take a shorter shower – saves 9 litres per minute
Place a cistern displacement device in your toilet – saves one litre a flush
Only use full loads in your washing machine – saves 35 litres per unnecessary load
Use full load in your dishwasher – saves 10 litres per unnecessary load
Wash up in a washing up bowl, rather than under a running tap – saves nine litres per minute