Our Plans for 2015-20

2 Our Plans for 2015-20 Brochure A

We supply clean, clear drinking water that tastes good

What we will do

Benefits

• Confidencethatyourtapwateris high quality and safe to drink

• Fewer customers will receive tap water that is cloudy or coloured

Clean water

Clear water

• Work with farmers to prevent pollutants such as pesticides from entering the rivers that your drinking water comes from

• Carry out major improvements at water treatment works serving Teesside, Tyneside and Northumberland

• Clean 1,500 miles of water pipes across the North East

Our Plans for 2015-20 3 Brochure A

We provide a reliable and sufficientsupplyofwater

What we will do

Benefits

• The chance of your water supply being unexpectedly cut off will be maintained at the lowest level in England

• Less water lost through leaks

• Very few customers have water pressure below the minimum standard

Reliable water

Sufficientsupply

What we will do• Replace 200 miles of water

mains to prevent pipes bursting and causing supply interruptions

• Continue to get better at findingandfixingleaksquickly

• Maintain our good performance on water pressure

4 Our Plans for 2015-20 Brochure A

Our customers consider the servicesthey receive to be value for money

What we will do• Aimtogetthingsrightfirst

time

• Keep you informed of progress

• Check you are happy with our service

• Offer ways to contact us that suit you (e.g. by phone, online, text or email)

• Provide a friendly service and treat you as an individual

Benefits

• Dependable service

• Fast resolution of problems

• Contacting us will be a satisfying experience

Excellent service

We provide excellent service andalways impress our customers

Our Plans for 2015-20 5 Brochure A

What we will do

Benefits

• A fair price for a great service

• Support for customers who struggle to pay their water and sewerage bills

Value

• Workefficientlysothatwecankeep customers’ bills as low as possible

• Personalised advice and support

• Flexible payment arrangements

• Promote free meters to customerswhowouldbenefit

• Collect debt from customers who can afford to pay, in order to keep everyone’s bills down

Our customers consider the servicesthey receive to be value for money

6 Our Plans for 2015-20 Brochure A

What we will do• Improve 270 miles of sewers

toreducetheriskofflooding

• We will continue to encourage our customers to onlyflushtoiletpaper,peeand poo!

• Work with councils, the Environment Agency and others to manage the drainage of rainwater

Benefits

• Reduced risk of our sewerage system causing floodinginsidecustomers’homes

• Reduced risk of our sewerage system causing pollution to rivers

Sewerage

We provide a sewerage service that deals effectively with sewage and heavy rainfall

Our Plans for 2015-20 7 Brochure A

What we will do• Improve 12 sewage treatment

works to raise the quality of water we return to rivers

• Improve our sewerage systems at Seaham, Saltburn and Seaton Carew to better protect 3 bathing waters from potential pollution

Benefits

• 30 miles of the North East’s rivers will have improved water quality

• Cleaner water for swimming and surfing

• All bathing waters in the North East will meet the minimum standard(‘Sufficient’)

• More than 80% of bathing waters will meet the ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’ standard

River water

Coastal water

We help to improve the quality of rivers and coastalwatersforthebenefitofpeople,theenvironment and wildlife

8 Our Plans for 2015-20 Brochure A

What we will do• Generate ‘power from poo’;

around 30% of the energy we use will come from processing sewage

• Work with local environmental groups to improve natural habitats

• Ensureeelsandotherfishwillnot be harmed when we take water from rivers to supply your drinking water

Benefits

• By 2020 greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by a third compared to 2008 levels

• Increased variety of plants, birds, insects and animals on Northumbrian Water’s land

• Eelsandotherfishthatliveinthe North East’s rivers will be protected

Protect

Enhance

We protect and enhance the environment in delivering our services, leading by example

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2008 2020

Our Plans for 2015-20 9 Brochure A

What we will do

Cost to customers:

Based on current assumptions, Northumbrian Water can deliver this package of water and sewerage services for an inflation only bill increase.

Inflation is the increase in the prices paid for the goods and services that we all buy. We don’t know what inflation will be for the period 2015-20. Forecasts have suggested that inflation, measured by the Retail Prices Index (RPI), could be around 3% per year. This would mean an increase of around £11.60 per year on the average household water and sewerage bill. It should be noted that household incomes also tend to rise over time.

When considering our plan, please bear in mind that other household bills may also go up or down too.

What this would mean for the average bill payer by 2019-20:

Bills change only by inflation

2014-15 2019-202015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19

Averagebill

£423Average

bill

£376Average

bill

£399

Averagebill

£365

Averagebill

£387

Averagebill

£411

Bills change only by inflation

2014-15 2019-202015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19

Averagewater bill

£262Averagewater bill

£233Averagewater bill

£247

Averagewater bill£226

Averagewater bill£240

Averagewater bill£254