It's Time to Submit your Abstraction Returns

What do you need to know?

On 31st March the 2019/20 abstraction licensing year ended in England and Wales. This means that all abstraction licence holders need to take a final meter reading and complete their annual returns.

Returns can be submitted either online or as a hard copy. Online submissions are favoured; however, this requires the licence holder to set up an online account and provide access to any agents that act on their behalf.

The Environment Agency has informed Envireau Water that there is currently no deadline for the submission of 2019-20 abstraction licence returns. However, that does not mean that returns do not have to be submitted and if you can obtain the information safely, then you should still submit your returns.

What do you need to consider?

Licence submissions can be tricky, therefore there are several factors to consider. It is important to quality check returns data and ensure consistency with licence conditions. Knowing the history of your abstraction and thinking strategically about your future requirements is important. If you have over abstracted, then you will need to prepare a clear justification why and create a plan for bringing abstraction back within your licensed limits. In some cases, it may be necessary to apply for additional volume. On the other hand, if there has been under abstraction for many years, then the ‘use it or lose it’ approach is relevant to you and anyone with a time limited licence needs to be prepared to robustly justify retaining existing volumes at licence renewal.

Completing abstraction returns is more than just filling in a form. Forward planning is key. Adapt to the new normal and get in touch with our technical leads tamsinmorey@envireauwater.co.uk or pennyjenkinson@envireauwater.co.uk to make sure you stay ahead of the game!