Thames Water
Encyclopedia
Public utility
A public utility is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service . Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and regulation ranging from local community-based groups to state-wide government monopolies...
responsible for the public water supply
Water supply
Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavours or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes...
and waste water
Wastewater
Wastewater is any water that has been adversely affected in quality by anthropogenic influence. It comprises liquid waste discharged by domestic residences, commercial properties, industry, and/or agriculture and can encompass a wide range of potential contaminants and concentrations...
treatment in large parts of Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
, the Thames Valley
Thames Valley
The Thames Valley Region is a loose term for the English counties and towns roughly following the course of the River Thames as it flows from Oxfordshire in the west to London in the east. It includes parts of Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, North Hampshire, Surrey and west London...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, and some other areas of in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Thames Water is the UK's largest water and wastewater services company, and supplies 2.6 Gigalitres of drinking water a day.
Thames Water is responsible for a range of water management infrastructure projects including the Thames Water Ring Main
Thames Water Ring Main
The Thames Water Ring Main is a major part of London's water supply infrastructure that consists of an approximately 80 km system of mostly concrete pipelines used to transfer potable water from water treatment works in the Thames and River Lee catchments to distribution within London.The...
around London, Europe's largest wastewater treatment works and the UK's first large-scale desalination plant. Infrastructure proposals by the company include the £2.2 billion London Tideway Tunnels
Thames Tideway Scheme
The Thames Tideway Scheme is an infrastructure project intended to improve the capacity of London’s sewerage system and prevent sewage overflows into the River Thames on the Tideway where it flows through London....
, and the proposed reservoir
Thames Water Abingdon Reservoir
The Thames Water Abingdon Reservoir was a proposal, made in 2006 by Thames Water, to build a large cleanwater reservoir to the south west of Abingdon, Oxfordshire. In 2007 the Environment Agency noted that need for the reservoir was not proven.-See also:...
at Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...
, which would be the largest enclosed reservoir in the UK.
Thames Water is regulated under the Water Industry Act 1991
Water Industry Act 1991
The Water Industry Act 1991 is an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament consolidating previous enactments relating to the water supply and the provision of wastewater services in England and Wales. It further implemented recommendations of the Law Commission.-Sections:Part 1 deals with the...
and is owned by Kemble Water Limited
Kemble Water Limited
Kemble Water Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kemble Water Holdings Limited, which is a consortium led by Macquarie Groups' European Infrastructure Funds and which includes non-Macquarie pension funds and institutional investors...
.
History
Thames Water can trace its history back to numerous earlier companies stretching back to the early 17th century:| 1600s, 1610s | Edmund Colthurst and Hugh Myddelton were the driving forces behind the New River Company and the New River New River (England) The New River is an artificial waterway in England, opened in 1613 to supply London with fresh drinking water taken from the River Lea and from Amwell Springs , and other springs and wells along its course.... , which provided an additional source of drinking water to London. |
| 1850s | Joseph Bazalgette Joseph Bazalgette Sir Joseph William Bazalgette, CB was an English civil engineer of the 19th century. As chief engineer of London's Metropolitan Board of Works his major achievement was the creation of a sewer network for central London which was instrumental in relieving the city from cholera epidemics, while... 's remediation of The Great Stink The Great Stink The Great Stink, or the Big Stink, was a time in the summer of 1858 during which the smell of untreated human waste was very strong in central London.-Water supply and sanitation prior to the Great Stink:... provided the company with much of London's present Victorian sewerage infrastructure and several listed buildings within its portfolio of sites. Also in the 1850s, Dr John Snow John Snow (physician) John Snow was an English physician and a leader in the adoption of anaesthesia and medical hygiene. He is considered to be one of the fathers of epidemiology, because of his work in tracing the source of a cholera outbreak in Soho, England, in 1854.-Early life and education:Snow was born 15 March... 's identification of the 1854 Broad Street cholera outbreak 1854 Broad Street cholera outbreak The Broad Street cholera outbreak was a severe outbreak of cholera that occurred near Broad Street in Soho district of London, England in 1854... provided a stimulus to the better treatment of sewage. |
| 1973 | The Thames Water Authority was founded, under the terms of the Water Act 1973 Water Act 1973 The Water Act 1973 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reorganised the water, sewage and river management industry in England and Wales... , and took over the following water supply utilities and catchment area management bodies:
|
| 1989 | Thames Water was privatised Water privatization in England Water privatisation was undertaken in 1989 by the government of Margaret Thatcher which partly privatised the ten previously public regional water authorities in England and Wales through the sale of assets... as Thames Water Utilities Limited, with the transfer of its regulatory, river management and navigation responsibilities to the National Rivers Authority National Rivers Authority The National Rivers Authority was one of the forerunners of the Environment Agency of England and Wales, existing between 1989 and 1996. Before 1989 the regulation of the aquatic environment had largely been carried out by the ten Regional Water Authorities... , which later became part of the Environment Agency Environment Agency The Environment Agency is a British non-departmental public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Government Sponsored Body of the Welsh Assembly Government that serves England and Wales.-Purpose:... . The company was listed on the London Stock Exchange London Stock Exchange The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement... and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index FTSE 100 Index The FTSE 100 Index, also called FTSE 100, FTSE, or, informally, the footsie , is a share index of the 100 most highly capitalised UK companies listed on the London Stock Exchange.... . |
| 2001 | Thames Water plc was acquired by the German Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... utility company RWE RWE RWE AG , is a German electric power and natural gas public utility company based in Essen. Through its various subsidiaries, the energy company contributes electricity and gas to more than 20 million electricity customers and 10 million gas customers, principally in Europe... . Following several years of criticism about failed leakage targets, RWE announced on 17 October 2006 that it would sell Thames Water to Kemble Water Limited Kemble Water Limited Kemble Water Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kemble Water Holdings Limited, which is a consortium led by Macquarie Groups' European Infrastructure Funds and which includes non-Macquarie pension funds and institutional investors... for £ Pound sterling The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence... 4.8 billion (since Thames Water had a pro forma net debt of £3.2 billion, this implied an enterprise value Enterprise value Enterprise value , Total enterprise value , or Firm value is an economic measure reflecting the market value of a whole business. It is a sum of claims of all the security-holders: debtholders, preferred shareholders, minority shareholders, common equity holders, and others... of £8.0 billion). |
| Dec 2006 | The sale from RWE to Kemble went ahead. Kemble is a consortium led by an investment fund run by the Australian Macquarie Bank. Australian investment funds already have interests in South East Water South East Water South East Water is a Victorian Government owned corporation that provides drinking water, sewerage, trade waste, recycled water and water-saving services for residents and businesses in an area ranging from the South East of Melbourne to South Gippsland in Australia.- South East Water manages... and Mid Kent Water Mid Kent Water Mid Kent Water was a water industry utilities provider in Kent, England. In 2007 it merged with South East Water.... . |
| 2007 | The company re-focused its efforts on improving its operational performance and announced the largest-ever capital investment (£1 billion) of any UK water company. |
| 2008 | The company found itself involved in a controversial redevelopment plan for the Bath Road Reservoir Bath Road Reservoir Bath Road Reservoir is an underground reservoir complex in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Located to the north-west of the Bath Road in West Reading, the complex covers... , in its home town of Reading Reading, Berkshire Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London.... . An appeal against Reading Borough Council's rejection of the plan was dismissed by the planning inspector in January 2011. |
Performance
Every day, Thames Water supplies 2.6 gigalitres (2.6 × 109 litres) of potable tap waterDrinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...
from 100 water treatment
Water treatment
Water treatment describes those processes used to make water more acceptable for a desired end-use. These can include use as drinking water, industrial processes, medical and many other uses. The goal of all water treatment process is to remove existing contaminants in the water, or reduce the...
works through 32000 kilometres (19,883.9 mi) of managed water mains to 8.7 million customers across London and the Thames Valley. It likewise removes and treats 2.8 gigalitres (2.8 × 109 litres) of wastewater from 13.8 million customers through 70000 km (43,496.1 mi) of managed sewerage mains to 349 sewage treatment
Sewage treatment
Sewage treatment, or domestic wastewater treatment, is the process of removing contaminants from wastewater and household sewage, both runoff and domestic. It includes physical, chemical, and biological processes to remove physical, chemical and biological contaminants...
works across an area of South England
Leakages
Up to 2006, Thames Water was repeatedly criticised for the amount of water that leaked from its pipes by the industry regulator Ofwat and was fined for this. In May 2006 the leakage was nearly 900 megalitres per day and in June that year Thames Water missed its target for reducing leakages for the third year in a row. Also in June 2006 the firm announced a 31% rise in pre-tax profits to £346.5m. Jeremy Pelczer, Thames Water's former chief executive, noted that:The Consumer Council for Water
Consumer Council for Water
The Consumer Council for Water is a non-departmental public body that represents water and sewerage consumers in England and Wales. The organisation provides impartial advice and/or advocacy for aggrieved consumers....
, a customers' group, accused Thames Water for continuing to miss their targets for the past five years. According to Consumer Council spokesman Andrew Marsh,:
In July 2006, instead of a fine, which would have gone "to the exchequer
Exchequer
The Exchequer is a government department of the United Kingdom responsible for the management and collection of taxation and other government revenues. The historical Exchequer developed judicial roles...
" the company was required to spend an extra £150 million on repairs. By 2007, the company stated that it had reduced its daily loss through leaks by 120 megalitres to an average of 695 megalitres per day. For 2009-10 Ofwat reported leakage was 668.9 Ml/day. In its price control determination for the period 2010 to 2015, Ofwat did not allow the funds needed to finance a significant further reduction in leakage and used the assumption that leakage would be 674 Ml/day in 2010-11 and 673 Ml/day from 2011-12.
Pollution
In 2004, Thames Water supplied rust-coloured water to residents of Spencers WoodSpencers Wood
Spencers Wood is a village in the civil parish of Shinfield, Berkshire, England, south of Reading. The village of Three Mile Cross adjoins it to the north. To the west lies the village of Grazeley.-History:...
and Shinfield
Shinfield
Shinfield is a village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire, just south of Reading. It contains and is administered by the unitary authority of Wokingham District.-Geography:...
, nr Reading, Berkshire
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
and was fined £24,000.
In September 2007, 5 km of the River Wandle
River Wandle
The River Wandle is a river in south-east England. The names of the river and of Wandsworth are thought to have derived from the Old English "Wendlesworth" meaning "Wendle's Settlement". The river runs through southwest London and is about long...
was polluted. In January 2009, Thames Water pleaded guilty and was "fined £125,000 and ordered to pay £21,335 in clean-up and investigation costs". In February 2010, on appeal, the fine was found to be "manifestly excessive" and was reduced to £50,000.
External links
- Thames Water website
- Thames Water YouTube channel
- http://www.dwi.gov.uk/about/annual-report/2009/letter-to-ministers-england.pdfLetter to Ministers 2009 - Drinking Water InspectorateDrinking Water InspectorateThe Drinking Water Inspectorate is a section of Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs set up to regulate the public water supply companies in England and Wales....
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