Our Drought Plans
Every 5 years, NWG produces Drought Plans for each of its regions; Northumbrian Water (NW) and Essex & Suffolk Water (ESW). Our Drought Plans identify what we will do before, during and after a drought to ensure we are able to provide you with a resilient water supply. They identify what measures are available to reduce demand and support supplies and what triggers that will be used to identify when actions are required. The Plans also outline how we will communicate with our customers during a drought.
Our current Drought Plans for our Northumbrian Water and Essex & Suffolk Water regions were published in May 2022 following a public consultation between June and August 2021. The Drought Plans, Appendices and Drought Plan Summaries are available to download at the bottom of this page.
Please email waterresources@nwl.co.uk should you wish to view a paper copy of our Drought Plans at our offices in Durham, Hanningfield (Near Chelmsford) or Lowestoft.
Exclusions on the Grounds of National Security
Under Section 37B(10)(b) of the Water Industry Act 1991, as amended by the Water Act 2003 ("the Act"), the Secretary of State can direct companies to exclude any information from published drought plans on the grounds that it appears to him that the publication would be contrary to the interests of national security. No information has been excluded from this plan.
Our new Draft Drought Plan 2027 (2027-2032)
We are required to update our Drought Plans every five years, the first stage of this is to produce Draft Drought Plans. We are now preparing our Draft Drought Plans 2027 ready for submission to Defra by 31 March 2026. Upon submission, we will undertake a public consultation.
Please email waterresources@nwg.co.uk with your comments so we can consider these during the development of our Draft Drought Plans 2027.
As part of our Draft Plans, we are required to undertake a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). To undertake this, we have commissioned our Strategic Partners - Jacobs and Stantec. If you would like to provide feedback on our SEA Scoping, please click here.