About Broad Oak Water

Share About Broad Oak Water on Facebook Share About Broad Oak Water on Twitter Share About Broad Oak Water on Linkedin Email About Broad Oak Water link

Why is Broad Oak Water needed?

Broad Oak Water will ensure a resilient and sustainable water supply. It will benefit the natural environment and community, now and in the future.

South East Water is proposing a new reservoir just north of the village of Broad Oak, near Canterbury in Kent. We supply fresh, clean drinking water to 2.3 million customers and, on average, treat and pump 543 million litres to our customers each day.

Broad Oak Water will play a key role in securing reliable, sustainable water supplies for Kent in the future.

Along with all water companies, we plan 25-50 years ahead to make sure there is enough water for homes and businesses, through our Water Resources Management Plan.

By 2050, we predict we’ll need to find at least an extra 90 million litres of water per day in Kent – that’s nearly half the amount we supply today on average.

You can find out more about our plans for Broad Oak Water by clicking on the links below, as well as the further links at the top of this page:

There's also lots of information in our FAQs. Plus, you can download and read our public engagement brochure.

Why do we need more water in the South East?

We already operate in an area of serious water stress, as designated by the Environment Agency, which means the amount of water we need is high compared to the amount of water available.

However, this challenge is becoming increasingly complex, as in the future we will also need to:

1. Replace the water we take from our existing underground and river sources, in order to protect the environment and wildlife. 2. Supply an increasing population and the new homes being built in the area. 3. Offset the impacts of climate change, with hotter summers and wetter winters. 4. Make water supplies more resilient to drought, so extreme restrictions are less likely to happen.

The drivers for new water sources in Kent:

78% to protect the environment, 13% to supply more people, 6% for climate change impacts, 3% to increase drought resilience


We’ve considered all the options available to us to provide this water and Broad Oak Water was identified in our long-term water resources plan as a central option.

Building Broad Oak Water will help us protect the chalk streams in Kent and particularly help us adapt to climate change, as we can capture and store water when it’s wet. It is also one of very few locations in the region where a reservoir could be built due to the site’s geology, proximity to a water source and social and environmental factors.

From the mid-2030's, Broad Oak Water will be able to supply up to 22 million litres of water per day and is part of a balanced mix of options to make up the shortfall. Other projects and initiatives we're progressing include:

  • Halving leakage by 2050 (from 2017/18 baseline)
  • Reducing demand for water with smart metering and water efficiency – reducing water use to 110 litres per person per day by 2050 (from 143 litres per person today)
  • Developing a new groundwater source near Aylesford by 2026
  • Developing a desalination plant at Reculver by 2044.

At South East Water, we are constantly working to improve and maintain our water network and we are looking to invest significantly to improve our network in and around Canterbury.

We are aiming not only to reduce the amount of bursts and leaks on our pipes, but this vital work will also secure a resilient water supply for the area’s growing population, ensuring we can continue to deliver a high-quality service for future generations.

Why is the reservoir only progressing now?

While we’ve owned the land at Broad Oak since the 1970s, there hasn’t been sufficient need for the water until more recent years. Previously, our priority has been to reduce leakage, improve water efficiency, install water meters and strengthen our network to ensure supplies. This has been the most cost-effective approach for customers, the most affordable in terms of bills and the most sustainable.

More recently, the need for extra water has significantly increased, particularly as we need to reduce the water we currently draw from chalk streams to protect the environment. As a result, the reservoir has been selected for development in our Water Resources Management Plan 2024, which you can read at: southeastwater.co.uk/future-water/



Why is Broad Oak Water needed?

Broad Oak Water will ensure a resilient and sustainable water supply. It will benefit the natural environment and community, now and in the future.

South East Water is proposing a new reservoir just north of the village of Broad Oak, near Canterbury in Kent. We supply fresh, clean drinking water to 2.3 million customers and, on average, treat and pump 543 million litres to our customers each day.

Broad Oak Water will play a key role in securing reliable, sustainable water supplies for Kent in the future.

Along with all water companies, we plan 25-50 years ahead to make sure there is enough water for homes and businesses, through our Water Resources Management Plan.

By 2050, we predict we’ll need to find at least an extra 90 million litres of water per day in Kent – that’s nearly half the amount we supply today on average.

You can find out more about our plans for Broad Oak Water by clicking on the links below, as well as the further links at the top of this page:

There's also lots of information in our FAQs. Plus, you can download and read our public engagement brochure.

Why do we need more water in the South East?

We already operate in an area of serious water stress, as designated by the Environment Agency, which means the amount of water we need is high compared to the amount of water available.

However, this challenge is becoming increasingly complex, as in the future we will also need to:

1. Replace the water we take from our existing underground and river sources, in order to protect the environment and wildlife. 2. Supply an increasing population and the new homes being built in the area. 3. Offset the impacts of climate change, with hotter summers and wetter winters. 4. Make water supplies more resilient to drought, so extreme restrictions are less likely to happen.

The drivers for new water sources in Kent:

78% to protect the environment, 13% to supply more people, 6% for climate change impacts, 3% to increase drought resilience


We’ve considered all the options available to us to provide this water and Broad Oak Water was identified in our long-term water resources plan as a central option.

Building Broad Oak Water will help us protect the chalk streams in Kent and particularly help us adapt to climate change, as we can capture and store water when it’s wet. It is also one of very few locations in the region where a reservoir could be built due to the site’s geology, proximity to a water source and social and environmental factors.

From the mid-2030's, Broad Oak Water will be able to supply up to 22 million litres of water per day and is part of a balanced mix of options to make up the shortfall. Other projects and initiatives we're progressing include:

  • Halving leakage by 2050 (from 2017/18 baseline)
  • Reducing demand for water with smart metering and water efficiency – reducing water use to 110 litres per person per day by 2050 (from 143 litres per person today)
  • Developing a new groundwater source near Aylesford by 2026
  • Developing a desalination plant at Reculver by 2044.

At South East Water, we are constantly working to improve and maintain our water network and we are looking to invest significantly to improve our network in and around Canterbury.

We are aiming not only to reduce the amount of bursts and leaks on our pipes, but this vital work will also secure a resilient water supply for the area’s growing population, ensuring we can continue to deliver a high-quality service for future generations.

Why is the reservoir only progressing now?

While we’ve owned the land at Broad Oak since the 1970s, there hasn’t been sufficient need for the water until more recent years. Previously, our priority has been to reduce leakage, improve water efficiency, install water meters and strengthen our network to ensure supplies. This has been the most cost-effective approach for customers, the most affordable in terms of bills and the most sustainable.

More recently, the need for extra water has significantly increased, particularly as we need to reduce the water we currently draw from chalk streams to protect the environment. As a result, the reservoir has been selected for development in our Water Resources Management Plan 2024, which you can read at: southeastwater.co.uk/future-water/



Page last updated: 02 Feb 2026, 08:28 PM