It is easy for us to take water for granted when living in a county that is effectively surrounded by water, with major rivers to the north and east and the sea to the south, west and north-west. The supply and storage of water in Wales is currently sufficient and reliable enough to meet our demands most of the time, but the future is less certain. Climate change may affect the availability of water and make it more difficult to maintain supply all year round while at the same time maintaining water quality and protecting habitats that depend on water. Swansea’s wonderful freshwater systems and coastal waters have contributed to people wanting to visit, live and work in the area.

Significant improvements to river and sea water quality over recent years with new wastewater treatment facilities and the redevelopment of the docks have contributed to improved fisheries and an increase in leisure opportunities. Water is an essential resource for humans, wildlife and the wider environment. It sustains life and influences our lifestyle. We use water at home not only for drinking but for cooking, cleaning, watering the garden and disposing of our waste. It also plays an important role in many industrial, agricultural and commercial processes and supports a wide range of recreational activities.

Environment Agency Wales is working with stakeholders to produce a Catchment Abstraction Management Strategy (CAMS) to ensure the sustainable use of surface and ground waters in the Tawe, Loughor and Gower catchment areas.

How we use water, as with many other human activities can have huge impacts on both the supply and quality of water. We must find ways of using this essential resource more efficiently while minimising the risks of pollution. Raising public awareness about the importance of water efficiency may be crucial if affordable supply is to be maintained. The greater use of rainwater collection systems could make a useful contribution.
Public drinking water supplies in Swansea are of high quality and are well regulated, with regular sampling and high-quality compliance rates. Public concern is sometimes expressed about fluoridation of drinking water and a debate on this issue may be useful. The quality of private water supplies and bottled water are not always as high and new legislation may be necessary to ensure better control of these.

Some of Swansea’s beaches regularly attain the prestigious Blue Flag status but the water quality in Swansea Bay currently falls short of the EU Bathing Water Guideline Standards. Further work needs to be done to help us understand the reasons for this and to implement long-term improvements. The quality of river water and other water-courses has an obvious impact on coastal water quality. Minewater discharge, a legacy of our industrial past, has been largely remediated in Swansea’s rivers, with the notable exception of Clyne Stream. Increased threats now come through diffuse pollution from agriculture and building developments and there has been a slight deterioration in the quality of Swansea’s rivers over the last 5 years. The use of certain sheep dips is of particular concern, as is the number of misconnections and overall capacity in the drainage and sewerage systems.

Heavy rainfall can cause problems when untreated sewage overflows into rivers and coastal waters and it is anticipated that this may increase in the future as a result of climate change. The use of sustainable drainage systems and water reuse innovation, such as reed beds for water purification, could be promoted.