SOUTH West Water has restated the case for why it needs to provide a desalination plant in St Austell Bay.

The proposal for a large desalination plant has come under fire from campaigners who argue there is no need to build infrastructure under the sea and through the countryside from Par Docks to Lostwithiel.

South West Water director of drought and resilience David Harris said: “Our proposal for a desalination plant in Par is a long-term project. Climate change, an increasing population and the significant influx of visitors to the region each year have made water resources more in demand than ever, especially in Cornwall.

“The population is growing and we will need an additional four billion litres of water by 2050 to meet demand.

“The Met Office predicts that by 2070 summers will actually get drier overall – with more heatwaves and droughts. We have to prepare for this and, when we can no longer rely on rainwater to fill our reservoirs, we have to look at climate-independent resources that we can call upon when we need them the most.

“Our regulators, like the Environment Agency, are encouraging water companies to develop new water supplies that are not reliant on rainfall, and they recognise desalination as an important step in ensuring resilient supplies in a changing climate. They expect us, as do our customers, to be prepared for the next drought and as a responsible business, that is exactly what we are doing.

“We are making huge investments and taking forward a whole range of solutions, repurposing disused quarries such as Hawks Tor on Bodmin Moor and Blackpool Pit in St Austell, because we recognise there is still a need to store more water as winters get wetter. However, these resources alone are not enough to provide us with the resilience we need. That is why we are developing plans for desalination in Par.

“We’re bringing new reservoirs online, we’re fixing leaks and we are proposing desalination. Because of the steps we are taking, this will boost our capacity in Cornwall and provide us with the resilience we need.”