Proceedings

Water companies aim to become more sustainable, with many having ‘signed up’ to the
government’s carbon reduction targets. Population is expected to increase over the next 25
years, potentially offsetting the reductions in carbon emission per unit of treated water. At the
same time, areas most likely to see increasing population are already water stressed and
expected to become more so as a result of climate change. Increasing storm intensity is also
expected to increase the frequency of surface water flooding, providing further challenges for
surface water management. Thus water companies can reduce the unit energy consumption
of water and wastewater services, but without the engagement of communities it is unlikely
that will be enough to make water sustainable. Government policy is relatively well aligned
for the various sectors, but there is scope for further incentives for the sectors to collaborate.
This paper reviews current policies and their interrelationships.

KEY WORDS: carbon, climate, environment, management, regulation, sustainability, water