Blog

Celebrate excellence in the UK water sector by nominating outstanding individuals and organisations for the 2026 Future Water Awards, recognising emerging talent, people, and above-and-beyond contributions.

The UK water sector is about to generate more data than ever before. Over the next five years, millions of smart meters will be rolled out. Monitoring across networks, treatment works and catchments is becoming more sophisticated. Data will move closer to real time, more granular, and more widely available. But more data is not the goal. Better decisions are.

World Water Day 2026 carries a powerful message: “Where waterflows, equality grows.” Globally, this highlights the critical link between access to clean water, sanitation, and gender equality. While that global WASH context is vital, I want to reflect closer to home—on equality within the UK water sector, and specifically the experience of women working within it.

As the UK water sector moves into year two of AMP 8, the industry is facing increasing pressure from climate volatility, public scrutiny, and the rapid growth of digital infrastructure. With an expanded Ofwat Innovation Fund, utilities now have greater opportunity to accelerate solutions such as advanced leakage detection, nature-based treatment approaches, and smarter network management. At the same time, the rise of smart meters and real-time monitoring is generating vast amounts of data—bringing both powerful insights and new cyber security risks. To meet these challenges, the sector must prioritise asset health, predictive maintenance, interoperable systems, and strategic investment in high-impact projects that strengthen resilience across the UK’s critical water infrastructure.

The Government’s Water Sector White Paper marks a defining moment for industry reform, setting out a clear path toward a single integrated regulator and a new supervisory, delivery-focused model. In this CEO blog, Future Water reflects on what the reforms mean for regulation, resilience, transition risk, and how the Association will support the sector through the changes ahead.

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water is expanding its deployment of Flygt Concertor intelligent pumping systems after a successful trial that achieved 40% energy savings and reduced blockages. This initiative supports their broader goals of pollution reduction and carbon neutrality by 2040.