Delivering Sustainable Water Management

Ricardo-AEA’s water specialists have expertise in all aspects of sustainable water management including water policy, water resources management and planning, water demand management, and corporate water security and risk. We deliver innovative solutions through direct technical support, training courses and workshops.

Water abstraction

Our team has an excellent understanding and working knowledge of the water abstraction regulations both here in the UK and in many countries around the world. Recent work for Defra to develop a greater understanding of non-water industry abstraction and to review international water abstraction regulations has enhanced the evidence base relating to the demand for, and the costs of, water for non-water industry abstractions.  This work has helped inform the future policy options for England and Wales. Read more…

Water efficiency and minimisation

Working across the industrial, commercial and leisure sectors we help organisations reduce their water use through skills transfer, mentoring and auditing services. Through the delivery of large scale water efficiency programmes we working directly with businesses to help them understand their water use and to identify opportunities to reduce consumption. We also have an excellent understanding of water efficient products and markets and their applications within an organisation.  Read more…

Water resources management

Increasing pressure on water resources requires more effective approaches to manage supply and demand as well as drought situations.

Our technical expertise in water resources management combined with our economics capability enables us to support clients in developing and implementing new policies, strategies, and in developing water resources management plans. Read more… 

Carbon impact of water

Carbon impact is implicit in many aspects of water use; transport of water to a site (energy used in pumping), water treatment, deionising, heating, cooling, chemical treatment, and disposal and treatment of waste water. We help our clients understand and reduce the carbon impact of the water they use and dispose of.

Heating hot water in the home (excluding central heating) is responsible for 5% of UK Carbon Emissions and we can help clients from water companies, housing associations and wider integrate water efficiency within their energy retrofit programmes.

Climate risk assessments

A growing area of our work focuses on climate change adaptation strategy, including flood-risk estimates, impacts of drought (subsidence, water conflict, social impacts) and impacts on pollution control systems. To assess business resilience options for our clients, we also assess the risks of water restrictions in the supply chain, and how to respond to water scarcity and security of supply issues. This has included individual company assessments and analysis of climate risk preparedness for international cities. We also considered tariffs and water efficiency options as part of the Defra Programme of research on preparedness, adaptation and risk (PREPARE).

Economic evaluation

Economic evaluation of water related investments is crucial to the water debate in the developed and developing world. Ricardo-AEA has a strong team of economists with in-depth experience of the EU Water Framework Directive, Water Resources Management Plans and the economic aspects of water charging and pricing. This experience also covers ecosystem services approaches to valuation.

Environmental quality and catchment based approaches

Our environmental quality expertise includes an extensive understanding of diffuse water pollution from agriculture, and how it relates to domestic and international regulation and legislation. Building on our strong chemical risk expertise, our work has helped to identify available measures to reduce the level of pesticides in drinking water and includes the economic analysis of the options.

We have practical experience delivering catchment based approaches, from engaging the public through dialogue through to providing advice to farmers.

Water related policy

We advise UK Government and the European Commission on water related policy. This has included work on the Market Transformation Programme which supports UK Government policy on sustainable products, for example advising on labelling for water efficient products. We played a significant role in the development of the Food Industry Sustainability Strategy. In addition, we have developed pan-European policy evidence bases for water products.

Water modelling

Technical models help assess the impacts of existing regimes or technologies, or investigate potential impacts of future policy decisions to confirm no adverse or unexpected side effects. Ricardo-AEA provides a comprehensive range of modelling services including cost-benefit analysis, multi-criteria analysis and marginal abatement curves. Read more …

Water sensitive urban design (WSUD)

Ricardo-AEA can help clients deliver Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) for more integrated water management. Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) is a new concept integrating sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), sustainable buildings and water efficiency, and climate change adaptation to create more liveable cities. By working across all of these areas we can provide more cost-effective solutions to reduce carbon emissions, improve water quality, reduce flood risk and improve water efficiency. Our expertise across water management, sustainable buildings, ecosystem services, and green infrastructure supports this. WSUD or Low Impact Development is currently best practice in Australia, USA and Europe and is rapidly developing in the United Kingdom. Read more...