Cambridge Water warns about supply and demand

Some of the concerns highlighted include the reported gap between water supply and demand, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported.

The letter highlighted that Cambridge Water’s per capita consumption was lower than forecast, but added: “It must meet the increasing demand for water from population growth and major national and international businesses, while also doing more to reduce the impact of water extraction on the environment.”

In August, Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook said the government was “ambitious on Cambridge” and described the city as “economically constrained by a lack of housing”.

A developer recently won a call to build 1,000 more homes at a site in Cambridge but the Environment Agency opposed it due to concerns about water supply to homes.

The letter stated that the leak was above estimates for the third consecutive year and that “its current performance poses a risk to the environment and security of supply.”

Cambridge Water said it would publish its full response to the letter on 29 November.

A spokesman said it was “proud to have the lowest per capita consumption in the country” but added that it had seen “significant growth in non-household water demand as Cambridge develops its science and technology sectors”.

It plans to introduce a universal metering system from April and have all residential and non-domestic properties equipped with smart meters by 2030.