Press Releases for 2004

CONSERVING WATER - WATER CONSERVATION IS ESSENTIAL IN KENT

3rd November 2004

Planning has started for the Broad Oak reservoir, due to population increase in Kent and rising levels of water consumption. Geoff Meaden, who attended a meeting with Mid-Kent Water at Tyler Hill near the proposed Broad Oak reservoir site recently, notes the need for major changes in the way we use water. Without such changes, water charges for new investment will inevitably be passed on to consumers. He comments:

"Local authorities need to build water conservation measures into their Local or Regional Structure Plans - and all water companies agree on this. Addressing the meeting for water industry, Trevor Bishop of Mid-Kent Water said":

'The water industry has paid lip service to water efficiency over the last 20 years.'

Geoff Meaden continues:

"New legislation is needed to ensure water companies are obliged to publicise and introduce water conservation measures. I am very concerned that taking water from the Stour to fill the Broad Oak reservoir will be detrimental to downstream ecology and to natural siltation processes. I also note that the geology of the area still has not been sufficiently investigated.

"But by building a possible Broad Oak we are only 'tinkering at the edges' of a bigger problem. Just as we need to ship electricity or gas around the country, we need a partial water grid. This system is called inter-catchment transfer and it already works well in the North East. But the Water Industry believes the Government will not provide the substantial funds needed to meet such an objective." ENDS c253 words

FURTHER INFORMATION: Dr Geoff Meaden on 01227 456806 or 01227 767700. Contact address as above. Dr Meaden is Senior Lecturer in Bio-Geography at Canterbury Christchurch University College and is Green Party parliamentary candidate for Canterbury.

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