Resource Management » Water and Energy in the UK

Water in the UK: changing demand

The UK is a wet country, but we still use a huge amount of water. Water is needed for drinking, washing, cooking, flushing toilets, farming and industry. Total demand for water has changed over time, and over the long term it has gone up.

• More people. The UK population has grown, so more homes need a supply.
• Higher living standards. Many homes now have showers, dishwashers, washing machines and gardens with hosepipes. The average person in England uses roughly 140 to 150 litres a day.
• Industry and farming. Power stations, factories and farms all need large amounts of water. Farms need extra in dry summers to irrigate (water) crops.
• Smaller households. More people live alone or in small households, and each home uses water for its own needs.

Demand can rise further in hot, dry summers, when people use more water just as supply is lower.

Key terms:

• Water demand: the amount of water people, farms and industry want to use.
• Water supply: the amount of water that is available to use.

Water quality and pollution management

Water must be clean enough to drink and to keep rivers and wildlife healthy. In the UK, water quality is protected in two main ways: stopping pollution getting into water, and cleaning water before it reaches our taps.

Water taken from rivers and reservoirs is also treated at a water treatment works. It is filtered and disinfected before it is piped to homes.

Key terms:

• Water quality: how clean and safe water is.
• Water pollution: harmful substances getting into water.

Matching supply and demand: deficit and surplus

Rain does not fall evenly across the UK. The west and north of the UK, such as Wales, north west England and Scotland, are mountainous and wet. These areas have a lot of rain but fewer people. They have a water surplus.

The south east and East Anglia are much drier and have a very large population, especially around London. Demand is high but rainfall is lower. They have a water deficit.

• Water surplus: more water is available than people need.
• Water deficit: less water is available than people need.

The need for water transfer

Because the wettest places are often far from the biggest cities, water has to be moved. A water transfer takes water from an area of surplus to an area of deficit, using pipes, canals, aqueducts or rivers. This maintains supplies for the people who need it.

• The Elan Valley reservoirs in mid Wales send water by aqueduct (a large pipe or channel that carries water) to Birmingham.
• Kielder Water in Northumberland is released into rivers to support supplies in the north east, including Tyneside, Wearside and Teesside.

Transfers cost money to build and run, and take a lot of energy to pump the water. Even so, they are one way to make sure supply matches demand.

Energy in the UK: the changing energy mix

The energy mix is the range of sources a country uses to produce its energy, for example coal, oil, gas, nuclear and renewables. The UK energy mix has changed a great deal.

• Coal powered the Industrial Revolution and made most of our electricity for many years. Its use has fallen sharply, and the last coal power station in Britain closed in 2024.
• Gas and oil became more important, especially after gas and oil were found under the North Sea. Gas is used to heat homes and make electricity, and oil is used mainly for transport.
• Renewables such as wind, solar and biomass now make up a large and growing share of electricity, around two fifths in recent years. Wind power, especially offshore wind, has grown the most.

Key terms:

• Energy mix: the different sources a country uses to supply its energy.
• Renewable energy: energy from sources that will not run out, such as wind and solar.
• Non-renewable energy: energy from sources that will run out, such as coal, oil and gas.

Reduced domestic supplies

For many years the UK had its own coal, gas and oil. Now these supplies have fallen.

• Many of the best coal seams have been used up or have become too expensive to mine, and most coal mines have closed.
• North Sea oil and gas production has fallen from its peak around the year 2000.

As a result, the UK now has to import a large share of its gas and oil. That makes the country depend on other countries and on world prices. This is one reason why growing our own renewable energy is seen as important.

Economic and environmental issues of using energy sources

Every energy source has good and bad points.

Another problem is that wind and solar only work when the wind blows or the sun shines, so there still need to be back-up supplies.

Exam-style question

(a) Explain why water has to be transferred from one part of the UK to another. [2 marks]

(b) Suggest one economic and one environmental issue of using fossil fuels as an energy source. [4 marks]