Customers to get new supply of ‘sustainable water'

Affinity Water will draw from England's third largest reservoir, Grafham Water instead of relying on chalk groundwater

Hundreds of thousands of customers will receive their water from a new more “sustainable” source, a water company said.

Parts of Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire will be supplied by Grafham reservoir in Cambridgeshire, instead of relying on the current supply of chalk groundwater.

Affinity Water said some customers would notice a “change in the taste and smell of their drinking water”, but that it was still “safe to drink”.

Campaigners welcomed the move, saying the local rare chalk streams “should be in a better state” as a result.

A new treatment plant at Sundon, near Luton, opens in June

Affinity Water has built a new water treatment facility in Sundon, Bedfordshire, which opens in June and will process the water piped in from Grafham Water.

By December the supply will have switched for customers in the Luton and Dunstable areas, and parts of Hertfordshire such as Hatfield and Ware.

Affinity Water said people’s supply would not be interrupted and their water pressure would stay the same. But the processes used at the plant meant that “some customers will notice a change to the taste and smell in their drinking water”.

It added that “there’s no need to worry” and the water would still be at “the same high-quality standard”.

Affinity Water says the water might taste different but is still safe to drink

The company is hoping to reduce “unsustainable abstraction” of chalk groundwater by up to 36 million litres per day by 2025.

Globally rare chalk streams running through the Chilterns and surrounding areas are fed by the same aquifers that provide water to households.

One of those chalk streams is the River Ver which flows into St Albans.

“In years of low flow, the River Ver suffered really badly. In 2019, half of it dried up – it smothers the life out of the river,” said John Pritchard, chair of the Ver Valley Society.

A comparison of the River Ver chalk stream in a normal year and in 2019 when it dried up

Mr Pritchard said his colleagues were “over the moon” at the Affinity Water's new system.

“After nearly 50 years of campaigning, we’d be delighted if the Ver finally benefitted from less groundwater water being abstracted. If that can be swiftly followed by similar schemes for other Hertfordshire chalk streams, we’d be doubly delighted.”

However, he pointed out that Grafham Water reservoir relies on the River Great Ouse for supply. Concerns have also been raised about water provision for the region, given the level of demand and impact of climate change.

Ben Hayward, of Affinity Water, said: "We are dedicated to ending unsustainable abstraction from chalk groundwater sources in the Chilterns and beyond.

"Chalk streams are invaluable ecosystems that support a wide range of wildlife species, and it is our responsibility to safeguard them for future generations."