| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Water supply |
| Founded | 1994 (merger of Colne, Rickmansworth and Lee Valley Water companies) |
| Headquarters | Hatfield England |
| Key people | Frederic Devos (Chairman) • Richard Bienfait (Managing Director) • Matt Rowlatt (Director of Community Operations) |
| Parent | Veolia Environnement (through Veolia Water) |
| Website | central.veoliawater.co.uk |
Veolia Water Central (formerly Three Valleys Water) is a privately owned company supplying water to Hertfordshire and parts of Surrey, North London and Bedfordshire, in England.
The company was originally formed by a merger in 1994 of the Colne Valley, Rickmansworth and Lee Valley Water companies. In October 2000 North Surrey Water joined the group. The company is owned by Veolia Environnement, a French company with international interests in the water, waste management, energy and transportation sectors.
The area served includes lies to the north and west of London, including parts of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Middlesex and Surrey[1].
The company depends heavily upon the local chalk aquifer for its supplies. In recent years, due to a combination of lower than average rainfall and growing demand, the aquifer has become depleted. This has affected the environment as some watercourses become seasonal and domestic users have been subject to drought restrictions, for the first time for many years.
This may have been a contributing factor in the outbreak of Cryptosporidium parvum in the Bushey area in March 1997 when Three Valleys had to ask 300,000 consumers in Hertfordshire to boil water. The source was never isolated though several water supply boreholes in the Chalk aquifer between St Albans and Bushey contained the pathogen.[2]
Hemel Hempstead lies within the company's area. After the major fire at the Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal at Buncefield, efforts are being made to deal with contaminants to the local aquifer and bore holes.
The company was renamed Veolia Water Central Limited in 2009.
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