The world and water

Supplying water and guarding the environment go hand in hand because if the environment isn't thriving, it threatens water supply.

Keeping water clean and fresh at the source means we do less in the water treatment process to make it safe.

We own or manage 33 Sites of Special Scientific Interest, a National Nature Reserve, two local nature reserves and numerous Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

This land is above our groundwater sources, so enhancing the area above improves the water quality below.

To do this, we work with local farmers and look for ways to stop soil and harmful chemicals from washing from fields into rivers and groundwater sources.

The farmers benefit from these works as they lose less of these costly chemicals to waste - saving money and time.

Let's talk about maize.

It has many uses, from animal feed and biogas production to maize mazes and corn on the cob. However, without proper protection, the bare soils after harvest can run into local rivers - taking harmful chemicals with them.

Although we can remove these at our water treatment works, removing them from the source means less energy and fewer chemicals are used to make the water safe to drink.

So, we work with farmers to sow grass between rows of maize, keeping the soil intact and holding the chemicals in place. The grass protects the water sources and the wildlife within them.

Cover crops

Similar to the maize scheme, we also worked with farmers to sow cover crops, which soak up leftover nitrogen after the main crop has been harvested, stopping it from seeping into our precious rivers and streams.

Cover crops, such as buckwheat, oats or barley, come in many forms and have many benefits to both the farmers and ourselves.

We don't just look after the environment to protect water sources. We also work with local organisations to boost biodiversity on our sites and give back to the environment we take from.

Water voles

Water vole numbers have declined rapidly since 1990. An organisation called Wild Cookham has worked hard to breed future generations of them.

We part-funded Wild Cookham to prepare part of the river Thames for the release of these water voles so they can thrive in their new home.

Wart biter crickets

Between 2015 and 2018, we worked alongside Buglife, Natural England and the Zoological Society of London to release 233 of the extremely rare wart-biter bush crickets on land we own in East Sussex.

These crickets were previously only found at five sites in the UK after becoming extinct from our Deep Dean site in the 1980s, as the high-quality chalk grassland they need to thrive was taken over by scrub over several decades.

Before we could release the crickets, the scrub needed to be removed to allow the native chalk grassland to regrow - we began this process in 1997. Work continues to manage the habitat and monitor the cricket population to this day.

We continue to take our role as guardians of the environment very seriously, protecting our water resources and giving back to the environment we take from.