The scale of the challenge

As shown in the map above, some water 
resource zones are affected more than others. 

Our region is particularly vulnerable to 
water shortages and flooding. 

The East of England is officially classed 
as ‘water stressed’. However, some 
areas of our region have more water 
than others. 

That means we must make careful use 
of our water to balance supply and 
demand. 

To tackle the challenge we will take a 
twin-track approach:

• We will reduce the demand for 
water by reducing leakage, installing 
smart meters and investing in water 
efficiency measures.

• We will also look at new ways to supply 
water, including moving it from areas 
of water surplus (shown in blue on 
the image) to areas of water deficit 
(shown in red). 

Image of map showing baseline supply-demand balance in 2044-45, based on a planning model we use. The map shows in red the areas that see the highest need for water, and in blue the areas that are in surplus. Therefore, we need to bring water from the blue areas to the red areas by installing pipelines.
Aerial image of East Lincolnshire.