The Society of Public Health Engineers (SoPHE), a society within the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), has expressed its support for the Independent Water Commission’s Final Report and its call for transformational reform in the UK’s water sector.
In light of the current challenges facing the water industry, including climate volatility, aging infrastructure, and underinvestment, the Commission’s report is timely and necessary. SoPHE commends the Commission for its transparent and evidence-based approach, and fully endorses its key themes.
One of SoPHE’s main positions is the importance of integrated water systems thinking. The society has long advocated for a holistic approach that considers surface water, foul drainage, sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), greywater reuse, and water demand reduction in the built environment. SoPHE fully supports the Commission’s call for a shift towards system-level resilience across the industry.
SoPHE also echoes the Commission’s recommendation for regulatory reform and greater accountability. The society believes that a clearer governance model and simplified regulatory architecture are necessary to ensure accountability for performance outcomes and to incentivize innovation and sustainability.
The report rightly identifies the urgent need for investment in the UK’s outdated water infrastructure. SoPHE members have witnessed the consequences of underfunded assets, such as combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and constrained network capacities. The society believes that new developments must be future-proofed for both flood and drought resilience.
Water efficiency and demand management are also crucial issues for SoPHE. The society supports the Commission’s call for accelerated water efficiency standards across all building types, with minimum performance requirements for fittings and plumbing systems. SoPHE also advocates for incentivizing innovation in smart metering, leakage detection, and behavior change to ensure water security in the future.
The role of skilled public health engineers is essential in delivering the Commission’s vision. SoPHE supports investment in training, professional development, and clear technical leadership pathways for both consultancy and delivery.
In addition to its support for the Commission’s key themes, SoPHE has put forward several strategic recommendations, including adopting a Whole-Life Water Cycle Design Mandate for new developments, mandating SoPHE-Chartered professionals for strategic public health infrastructure schemes and planning gateway reviews, and accelerating national SuDS adoption through Building Regulations Part H reform.
The society also advocates for embedding long-term outcomes into procurement models and strengthening the digital thread by encouraging smart, sensor-based system monitoring integrated into Building Information Modelling (BIM) and digital twins. SoPHE also urges water authorities to adopt smart metering and incentivize lower costs based on lower usage.
In conclusion, SoPHE, as a CIBSE society, is ready to contribute to a new era of water system governance in the UK. The society calls on policymakers and stakeholders to view the Commission’s report not as a critique but as a call to action to collectively reshape the way we manage and value water as a shared human right and ecological imperative.
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