Notice

Affinity Water Limited: application made to abstract water

Published 29 January 2021

This notice was withdrawn on 23 March 2021

The consultation period for this application has ended. You can view current licences on the Public Registers.

Applies to England

Details of the application

Affinity Water Limited have applied to the Environment Agency to vary a licence.

The Environment Agency is giving notice of this application in accordance with Section 37 of the Water Resources Act 1991 and Regulation 6 of the Water Resources (Abstraction and Impounding) Regulations 2006.

Notice of this application, NPS/WR/031635, was originally given on the 13 September 2019.

This new notice summarises changes made by Affinity Water to its application since the original notice.

The application is to vary existing licence serial number 28/39/28/0270, which authorises the abstraction of groundwater from a source near Watford, at National Grid References TQ 09 99 and TQ 11 96.

The original notice stated that:

• (i) The variation would increase the rate at which Affinity Water may abstract from the site [at National Grid Reference (NGR) TQ 09 99] by 8.5 megalitres per day until 31 March 2025.

The revised application now proposes to increase the rate by 4.1 megalitres per day at NGR TQ 09 99 until 31 March 2025.

• (ii) An equivalent reduction of 8.5 megalitres per day will be made at NGR TQ 11 96, ensuring that daily abstraction authorised by this licence does not increase overall.

It is now proposed that no abstraction will be authorised by this licence at NGR TQ 11 96 on each day that abstraction at NGR TQ 09 99 is increased in line with (i) above, up to 31 March 2025.

• (iii) The annual volume of water that may be taken will increase by 326.6 megalitres, however, Affinity Water proposes to permanently revoke a third licence (number 28/39/28/0579/R01) which permits abstraction from the same groundwater source at NGR TL 08 01 to support this increase, resulting in a net reduction in licensed abstraction from the catchment overall.

The revised application proposes to keep annual rates of abstraction at presently authorised levels, and the revocation of licence serial number 28/39/28/0579/R01 is not to proceed. The rate of abstraction permitted under licence serial number 28/39/28/0270 therefore remains at 7,987 megalitres per year, and there will be no change in the licensed rate of abstraction in the catchment overall.

The increase in peak daily abstraction rate will only commence if water quality at other Affinity Water abstraction sites is affected by construction of HS2, which leads to full or partial outage.

All water abstracted by Affinity Water under this licence is for the purpose of public water supply and the variation will contribute to maintaining resilience of supply during episodes of peak demand. This proposal is not to enable Affinity Water Limited to supply High Speed Two (HS2) Limited with construction water.

How to view the application

We are following Government advice to manage the risks of Coronavirus to our organisation, to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of our staff and sustain our critical operations. As a result, please contact us via e-mail or use the number below to arrange to see the application documents.

How to comment on the application

Send any representation about this application by email, quoting the name of the applicant and reference number NPS/WR/031635 to the Environment Agency at: psc-waterresources@environment-agency.gov.uk

By 26 February 2021.

For advice about how to make a representation call 03708 506 506.