Forewords, executive summary and structure: National Framework for Water Resources 2025
Published 17 June 2025
Applies to England and Wales
© Crown copyright 2025
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Foreword by Alan Lovell, Chair, Environment Agency
Huge pressure already exists on the nation’s water resources and, with population growth and climate change, that pressure is set to continue and steadily increase.
Estimates suggest that, without continued action, we could have a 5 billion litre a day shortfall by 2055 for public water supplies alone. Apart from the threat to water supply to homes, growing pressure could restrict economic growth, damage resilience for energy supplies, limit food production and harm the environment.
The National Framework for Water Resources identifies the essential actions needed to meet the challenges at a national, regional and catchment scale. It builds on the foundations of the 2020 Framework and takes further steps to strengthen multi-sector water resources planning.
As a nation, it is paramount that we tackle these challenges head-on. It is crucial that we deliver large-scale and co-ordinated action and unlock more opportunities to address pressures on the water environment from unsustainable abstraction. Continued and sustained effort from government, from regulators and action from regional groups, water companies, abstractor groups and water users across all sectors is critical. Action includes resource development, both at a strategic and local scale, and a joined-up, solutions-led approach between sectors. The Framework also clearly identifies that an enhanced focus on delivering demand management savings is vital – particularly in the period before new supplies are ready for use.
This Framework does chart a course whereby we can respond to that 5 billion litre a day challenge. By integrating catchment management and seizing opportunities to work collaboratively, we can deliver improved water supply resilience and create a better environment. But it needs to start right now.
Foreword by Jean Spencer, Independent Chair of the National Framework
In 2020 the first National Framework for Water Resources was published, transforming how we plan for more resilient water supplies for consumers, the environment, agriculture and other water users. Since then, five regional groups have worked collaboratively across sectors and with environmental groups, regulators and wider interested parties, to develop plans that consider each region’s needs and for those plans to fit together to provide a joined up national solution.
This second National Framework, builds on those regional plans with independent analysis of the water resources needed to protect and improve the environment, to support growth in housing and the economy, provide water for food and to meet the needs of the energy sector in delivering net zero. The scale of the challenge in providing resilient water supplies has never been greater.
Meeting this challenge requires ambitious action, with more nature-based solutions to protect, restore and enhance the water environment; in delivering new supplies and strategic transfers through a step change in investment in critical infrastructure; and in reducing the demand for water by reducing leakage from public water supply and helping individuals and organisations use less water.
Change on the scale needed requires collaborative action across government and all major water users, as well as a national narrative to engage businesses and consumers in the role we can all play in ensuring resilient water resources and a thriving environment.
I look forward to continuing a collaborative approach to the evolution of national and regional water resource planning.
Executive summary
Water is fundamental for public health, food, energy supply, a strong and growing economy and a thriving natural environment. We are on the cusp of huge change in how society operates as Artificial Intelligence develops, and we move to clean energy production. Yet all of these depend upon a sustainable, resilient supply of water.
At the same time, the climate is changing, and the population is growing. By 2055 current predictions indicate there will be a further 8 million people living in England, requiring housing and new towns. Forecasts suggests that climate change will increase temperatures, driving demand for water on hotter days both for individual use but also for purposes like irrigation and cooling of computer data centres. Climate change is also likely to change the distribution and timing of rainfall, with warmer, wetter winters and hotter, drier summers.
Together, the impact of all these pressures on water resources is unprecedented. Never have so many people and so many sectors critical to the functioning of society placed such a demand on our water resources, at a time when nature and the environment are reliant on that water to cope with a changing climate. In this second National Framework for Water Resources, refined and improved modelling of scenarios of population growth, climate change and environmental sustainability reductions demonstrate that without action there could be a deficit of up to 5 billion litres a day by 2055 for public water supplies. That is almost enough water to fill Wembley Stadium 4.5 times each day. A demand of a further 1 billion litres per day is likely to be required by other sectors of use. Addressing these deficits can only be achieved if we plan across sectors, push forward resource options and demand management and deliver as soon as possible.
The first National Framework for Water Resources set out the enormity of the scale of challenge that awaits us with demand for water outstripping supply and provided a new regional structure to begin tackling this problem. There have been major changes and advancements in developing the pathway to close the water deficit, including the establishment of the Regulators’ Alliance of the Progression of Infrastructure Development (RAPID) and the funding made available for large infrastructure projects. These step forwards have improved our knowledge and understanding of the factors contributing to the water deficit and refined and improved modelling techniques and data, as well as additional regulatory asks, have increased the scale of the deficit to 5,000 mega litres a day. Despite this, we are in a much stronger position to address and reduce this gap due to the work of many groups, companies and organisations working collaboratively over the last 5 years. The ambition and delivery on both new resources and demand management must not slip and must continue to be implemented to ensure the resilience and security of water supplies.
This new National Framework for Water Resources describes the next steps that need to be taken to build on the work that has already been done and how planning of water in all sectors needs to change. These steps include:
- as part of the Environment Agency’s strategic overview of water resources across all sectors of use, the Environment Agency will continue to assess the scale of the national challenge
- regional water resources groups will develop multi-sector water resources plans and facilitate the delivery of collaborative solutions
- regulators, particularly through RAPID, will help to evaluate proposed solutions and to help facilitate the identification of new options
- the Environment Agency will continue and upscale our engagement with other water using sectors to understand their needs and issues and facilitate early engagement with the water sector and Regional Groups
- the Environment Agency will support the enhancement of the local tier of water resources planning such as Water Abstractor Groups and Catchment Partnerships to better enable delivery and we will continue to work through the National Framework to enable more effective collaboration.
With a sustainable supply of water in the right places we have an opportunity to create a stronger economy, a cleaner source of energy, a healthier and thriving environment and a supply of affordable water for all. We need to act now to take this opportunity, and we must all work together to achieve it. If we can do this, we will be the creators of a more resilient, healthier environment and a greener, stronger economy for years to come.
Navigating the National Framework
The structure of the National Framework for Water Resources is as follows.
Section 1: Introduction
In this section we set out the role and objectives of the National Framework for Water Resources, as well as the structure and benefits of regional and local water resource planning and the wider legislative context in which the National Framework sits.
Go to 1. Introduction.
Section 2: Current and future pressures on water resources
In this section we set out the drivers of the additional pressures on water resources which include environmental sustainability and the need to protect the environment and nature, an increased population and the associated demands of a larger population such as more water for appliances and energy, an improved water supply resilience in times of drought so water companies need to plan to be resilient to a drought which has a 0.2% chance of occurring, climate change which is increasing the likelihood of hot summers and changing rainfall patterns, and land use pressures including the need for housing and increased tree cover.
This section also includes the scenarios we have used in modelling the impact of the public water supply pressures and how these pressures drive the deficit, and how we have approached non-public water supply needs using recent actual abstraction data. We also recognise the need for adaptive planning as events unfold differently to what we have forecasted and expect regional groups and water companies to plan accordingly for example by using a range of future scenarios and pathways and developing monitoring plans to track progress.
Section 3: How much additional water do we need
In Section 3 we set out that by 2055 England will need up to an additional 5 billion litres of water per day for public water supply, the equivalent of filling up Wembley Stadium almost 4.5 times every day. This has increased since the 2020 National Framework for Water Resources due to updated demand forecasts and additional reductions for the environment. This section includes the breakdown of forecasted water needs by each regional group and the range of water supply deficits under the modelled scenarios.
This section covers future estimates of non-public water needs, which shows that the total additional consumptive water requirements for other sectors by 2050 could be 1,090 Ml/d.
We include further information on the Environmental Destination and the need for additional water to meet environmental targets and ambitions, including both legal requirements and government commitments. For public water supplies, this could drive a need for additional options to ensure that water remains in the environment. Today’s baseline environmental needs are 60% of the challenge – 3,200 Ml/d (current legal requirements). By the 2050s this might rise to 5,400 Ml/d (full government environmental expectations and predicted climate change). Of this, water company abstraction accounts for 90% of the reduction needed. With actions included in Water Resource Management Plan 24 (WRMP24), we expect the size of the challenge to reduce to 2,700 Ml/d.
Section 4: Water availability
In this section we set out the current and potential future availability of abstracting water directly from the environment from surface water, with forecasts indicating a lack of available surface water across much of the South East and East. Abstraction from groundwater is likely to be subject to greater vulnerability as hotter, drier summers may shorten the recharge season.
Water availability from public water supplies is under pressure. If planned WRMP24 actions have been delivered and national reduction targets have been met, by 2055 there would still be deficits observed in a number of water resource zones in the South East, East and Midlands.
Go to 4. Water availability.
Section 5: Taking action – water for the environment
In this section we set out the positive action taken to retain water in the environment and plans to build on this through the delivery of the Environmental Destination and to move towards sustainable abstraction.
Where changes are needed to ensure that abstraction is environmentally sustainable, we will act with confidence to put timely solutions in place, and we will seek to do this in conjunction with abstractors and stakeholders. Sometimes, the solution may involve a change to the abstraction licence volumes or conditions to ensure that the environment is protected. Through the Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP), water companies have a mechanism for evaluating options for achieving the sustainable abstraction outcomes that are needed. For abstractions not included in this programme, we encourage regional water resources groups and water abstractor groups (across all sectors) to work collaboratively with abstractors to identify alternative solutions.
We highlight the use of nature-based solutions to support resilience to floods and droughts, action needed to protect chalk streams and the need for water for wetting peatland to support the storage of carbon.
Section 6: Taking action – public water supplies
In this section we examine the action the water industry must take to deliver a secure, resilient, environmentally sustainable supply of water and how it must continue at pace to deliver both demand reduction and supply options.
Water company water resources management plans now contain solutions, many of which are being supported by Ofwat’s latest periodic review determination, which is one of the largest programmes of water resources investment since plans became statutory, totalling approximately £8 billion during the 2025-2030 period. This includes investment to progress with actions to reduce demand plus actions which will pave the way for 10 new reservoirs, 1 reservoir enlargement, 9 water transfer schemes, 2 desalination schemes and 1 minewater treatment scheme.
This is being supported by the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) who have been established to help scrutinise and assess schemes. It is essential that these large infrastructure schemes are delivered.
More new options need to be identified and assessed as a key element of the adaptive planning process. This is to allow for future flexibility should there be additional demands or should schemes deliver less water than planned or later than intended. This also includes exploration of additional options such as water recycling, reused water for non-potable purposes and grey and rainwater harvesting.
Demand management is essential for the current and future management of water resources, helping to drive down leakage and improve household, business and industry, and public sector water efficiency. It is critical in the short term, given the long lead-time for strategic resource development. By 2049-50, reduction in water consumption and leakage is expected to address over 65% of the supply demand balance deficit across England. Not only is the level of reduction ambitious, but the pace of change needed is vital. We examine the role of leakage, water efficiency labelling and water use in buildings. We look at how government is working with Ofwat on smart meter rollouts to enable customers to make more informed choices about their water usage.
In this section we also cover the public water supply used by non households such as businesses and the public sector. Non-households are a major user of water with around 20% of water put into supply by water companies classed as non-household water use. To enable a thriving economy, we must plan to meet the water needs for new businesses, the expansion of existing businesses and public services that support housing.
We are progressing work on an options appraisal framework for water resources planning. The project will propose a decision-making framework supported by a consistent options appraisal approach, which aims to enable water resources planners to deliver wider environmental and societal benefits.
Section 7: Taking action – water for energy
In this section we cover the need of water for energy production, particularly in support of commitments to decarbonisation, and the need for water in hydrogen and nuclear production. Work carried out for the Environment Agency estimates that the water needs for carbon capture and storage and hydrogen production alone may amount to 767 Ml/d by 2050.
The section also highlights actions that need to be taken by the energy sector, such as identifying and evaluating suitable options to meet future water needs and improving water efficiency in production methods. We also examine recommendations to start to dismantle barriers to collaborative planning between the water and energy sectors.
Section 8: Taking action – water for food
Secure and reliable water supplies are vital for food production, food security and to support the economy. We want to support the agriculture sector in effectively engaging in water resource planning and support the promotion of water abstractor groups.
In this section we cover the local resource option studies which look to create a pathway for the delivery of water resource solutions, such as sharing of water rights and multi-ownership reservoirs. We also set out the potential role of smart farming and how this technology can be used.
Section 9: Taking action – other significant water using sectors and emerging demands
In this section we set out the issues facing other water using sectors in times of water scarcity and barriers to the implementation of greater water efficiency in those sectors.
The section also covers the need and use of water for navigation, the chemical industry, data centres and artificial intelligence (AI), health and wellbeing, and flood alleviation. All of these sectors are dependent upon a secure and sustainable supply of water, and we set out how we plan to continue to work with these sectors as they work toward improved water resource awareness and planning.
Section 10: Water resources planning and abstraction licensing
In this section we cover how we allocate water rights through the Environment Agency’s abstraction and impoundment licensing system, and as water becomes more scarce developing a policy on deciding to whom the available water should be allocated when there are conflicting demands, which we plan to consult on in 2025.
We set out the potential for water rights trading and water rights sharing and their importance. We want to move more towards near real time management of water resources through dynamic catchment management and we set out what needs to be done for this to happen, for example significant investment in monitoring.
Section 11: Expectations of Regional Water Resources Groups
In this section we look to build on the successes of Regional Water Resources Groups and set out our high-level expectations. This includes delivery of multi sector planning (subject to funding), driving improvements to water supply resilience, water efficiency and demand management, cross sector engagement and environmental protection. This is covered in more detail in Appendix A.
Section 12: Further evolution of water resources planning
We set out the improvements we have made to governance arrangements, and the steps we are taking towards the use of common planning scenarios, future funding of regional groups, improved access to data and strengthened alignment with other planning processes such as catchment planning, spatial development planning and drainage and wastewater management plans (DWMPs). These are actions which are likely to happen regardless of recommendations made in the review of the water industry by Sir Jon Cunliffe.