1. Water in the UK – rights and responsibilities Claire Ashton

2. What do we use water for? Domestic purposes (personal hygiene, cooking, cleaning) UK industry and services UK agriculture “Virtual water” in imported goods (62% of UK total water use (WWF 2012))

3. How much water do we use? Five-minute shower Bath Flushing toilet Dishwasher Washing machine Eating a tomato Eating an apple Drinking a cup of coffee Eating a hamburger 40 80 13 65 10-25 70 8 280 2400 [statistics from Ofwat, Uswitch and RuSource] ActivityLitres

4. How much water do we use? Only 38% of the UK's total water use comes from its own resources; the rest depends on the water systems of other countries, some of which are already facing serious shortages (WWF 2012). Average household water use for washing and drinking in the UK is about 150 litres a person daily, but we consume about 30 times as much in "virtual water", used in the production of imported food and textiles.

5. Overview of UK water supply system Abstraction Treatment Surface water Groundwater Supply Service reservoir

6. Discussion questions How do we balance environmental issues with supply security (reduce leakage, build new reservoirs, desalination)? How do we reduce our use of “virtual water”? Is domestic water a right or should we pay for what we use (metering)? Should we move to a dual supply system of drinking water and grey water?