Plaid Cymru politicians have questioned the Welsh Government over controversial proposals to transfer water from Lake Vyrnwy to meet demand in London.
Concerns over the proposals were highlighted in the Senedd during First Minister’s Questions on Tuesday, March 28.
Plaid Cymru leader, Adam Price MS, Cllr Elwyn Vaughan, Plaid Cymru Leader on Powys Council and Cefin Campbell, Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd for Mid and West Wales expressed concerns over the planned development.
United Utilities, Severn Trent Water and Thames Water, are reportedly collaborating on a proposal to transport water from Lake Vyrnwy reservoir to London and other parts of south-east England.
While any developments are reportedly still in early development and have yet to be finalised, they have been met with criticism from local politicians.
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Mr Price asked: “Do you think it's right, First Minister, that a water regulator answerable to the UK Secretary of State should be making decisions on what should happen to water in Wales?
“Do you think that Thames Water, which loses 635 million litres a day through leakages, should be able to make up for its own failings by accessing our own water resources?
“And do you think it's right that Thames Water should be planning to pay just over £5 million for the use of this precious resource when we in Wales pay among the highest water bills anywhere in the UK?”
A shortlist of two possible pipeline routes have been drawn up, with one running to the lower reaches of the River Vyrnwy while other is a longer 16.5km route to the River Severn.
Cllr Elwyn Vaughan cited comments from the Environment Agency that recommends the company must do more to fix the 630m litres of water it leaks a day before it starts transferring water from elsewhere.
He said: “These latest comments from the Environment Agency’s fare a damning account of Thames Water, and reiterates what we have said throughout these proposals, these water companies need to get their own houses in order before extracting any further water from Wales.
“Wales is already paid a pittance for its water, and the fact that so much of this is lost through leaks and mismanagement, frankly, makes any further attempts of extraction nonsensical.”
Cefin Campbell added: “Paradoxically, whilst water prices for Welsh customers are amongst the highest in the UK, water from our reservoirs continues to flow over the border at a minimal fee.
“Any plans to export more water is a cause for concern and crucially we need assurances that any proposals do not harm our water security in terms of now or the future, that it doesn’t harm our environment or communities, and finally that the people of Wales get the full economic value from the export of this very precious resource.”
According to the water companies, the proposal is “one of many options” that Severn Trent and Hafren Dyfrdwy are exploring as long term options to meet water demand from 2050 and beyond.
A spokesperson for Severn Trent said: “All options being explored are currently proposals, none are certain.
"This one in particular explores redistributing water from Lake Vyrnwy, with no additional water taken.”
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