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 water sector is approaching a turning point in cyber resilience. For years, much of the focus has been on compliance: frameworks, standards, reporting obligations, and security controls. Those foundations still matter, but they are no longer enough.

Infrastructure sectors often rely on complex jargon that excludes the public. With the UK’s average reading age at nine, clear, simple, and visual communication is essential to build understanding and trust.

Future Water Association exists for one reason: to help transform the UK water sector. That mission is as urgent now as it has ever been. Our Impact Report shows how progress has been made through collaboration, innovation, and honest conversation across the sector.

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.