Northern Ireland Water Annual Report & Accounts 2018/19

NI Water Annual Report and Accounts 2018/19 5 Strategic Report NI Water Annual Report and Accounts 2018/19 4 Welcome Changing how we all think about water Nature provides us with a range of eco- services, which filter our fresh water, absorbing and retaining carbon, protect us from flooding, provide recreation, attract tourists and support our overall health and wellbeing. NI Water relies on fresh water as the key input to provide its services. Sustainably managed, this renewable natural capital infrastructure is a gift, which keeps on giving, for free. As a society we need to place more value on water; to reduce pollutants entering our waterways and the millions spent on removing them through water treatment; to work with nature rather than against it to support sustainable economic growth; to be ready for more extreme weather conditions; to better design our homes to use less high quality drinking water for flushing the toilet and washing the car; and reduce the millions spent keeping our sewer networks clear of inappropriate items. NI Water must also play its part, and identify profitable solutions that underpin a healthy and thriving population, a growing economy, and a flourishing natural environment. In doing so, we can all help support a clean growth revolution. Building on our success Since our formation in 2007, we have been leading the challenge on doing more for customers, with fewer resources. We have transformed the delivery of water services, delivering record levels of service for our customers while reducing our cost base through sustainable efficiencies. NI Water is one of the most successful examples of a public sector organisation achieving private sector levels of performance and efficiency. This year’s Annual Report is a testament to that success. Over 2018/19 we have delivered record levels of drinking water and used water compliance, record low pollution incidents, our lowest ever levels of supply interruptions and the best ever levels of service for our customers. This has been delivered while keeping bills affordable. Drains before cranes We want to continue to build on this success and become world class. To do so, we have developed a draft long term strategy covering the next quarter of a century (2021-2046). The strategy outlines how the use of world class approaches can successfully tackle some of the challenges over this period, most notably climate change. We are engaging with all our stakeholders over 2019 on the draft strategy to ensure that our customers remain at the heart of service delivery. However, this future success and our progress to date is dependent on a solution being found to the funding of water and sewerage infrastructure. Northern Ireland is unique within the UK as being the only part where the regulated water utility is unable to fully implement the economic regulator’s final determination due to public expenditure constraints. ‘NI Water must also play its part, and identify profitable solutions that underpin a healthy and thriving population, a growing economy, and a flourishing natural environment. In doing so, we can all help support a clean growth revolution.’ Tree planting at the Glenedra River, County L’derry to reduce bankside erosion, improve water quality and restore ecosystems Strategic Report This Strategic Report is produced in accordance with The Companies Act 2006 (Strategic Report and Directors’ Report) Regulations 2013.