Why haven’t we got a national grid to evenly distribute supplies?
• Water is very heavy and costly to pump around, so a national water grid would be extremely expensive. It would also damage the environment, both locally and in its heavy use of energy. Our view is that a national grid is not the best solution. This view is shared by Ministers, Consumer Council for Water and the water companies themselves. • It is estimated that building a national grid would cost up to 10 times as much as building new reservoirs closer to the area requiring the water. • The best long-term solution is to use local transfers, to develop local water resources and to help people change the way they use water. • Water is already transferred between areas and it is up to the water companies to ensure they manage their supplies effectively.
