GovWire

Water and sewerage companies must produce drainage and wastewater management plans (DWMPs) (they must cover a minimum of 25 years) plans looking at current and future capacity, pressures, and risks to their networks such as climate change and population growth.

They must detail how companies will manage these pressures and risks through their business plans and how they will work with other risk management authorities or drainage asset owners.

These guiding principles were written by Defra, the Welsh Government, Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales and Ofwat. They set out the priorities and expectations against which both the governments and regulators will assess the DWMPs.

Companies will need to produce draft plans for consultation in 2022 and final plans in 2023.

The production of DWMPs will be made statutory through the Environment Act.