Water commons

We’re interested in bringing together a group to talk about the possibility of launching a water commons in Stroud, with a view to bringing water & sewerage infrastructure into community ownership in perpetuity, to make locally-owned, sustainable water and sewerage services available and affordable for everyone.

We’ve had discussions with Water21 and Mutual Credit Services about potential commons models and water engineering solutions for a water commons for Stroud – initially for natural sewage infrastructure owned by the community, based on reed beds, for which we have local expertise via Water21.

The idea is to pilot local models, by first generating questionnaires for local businesses, individuals and community organisations to help us drill down into their needs as regards water provision and sewage management. After that, there would need to be negotiations with OFWAT, water companies, the local authority and Environment Agency. Then commons tools for community investment and ownership would need to be designed, followed by scoping of sites, consultations, and design and implementation of natural systems. 

We’d like to meet with and learn from people interested in water and sewerage provision in Stroud, to think more about what a water commons might look like. 

If you think you might like to get involved in a formative water commons group, you can have a look at the information below and on this page, and contact us. 

Why water commons?

The catastrophic problems of privatised English water companies are well known. Sewerage function and drinking water supply are now more deficient than even before privatisation. Terminal failure was in-built from the start, within the cultural, operational, & regulatory processes applied. Correcting these foundational criteria can help inform the quickest resolution.

There’s a conflict of interest between the pursuit of profit and the public interest in the business of water and sewerage

Public health standards have not been applied to our rivers or seas.

There’s plenty of scope for small-scale, natural commons and/or community-owned water supply and wastewater treatment, providing useful compost, and around 90% cheaper than the hard, civil engineered corporate methods.

The basic concept

A water commons is an association of 4 member groups: customers, investors, stewards, and a ‘custodian’ group (like trusted ‘village elders’) with a veto vote to ensure that commons principles are adhered to, and that water and sewerage infrastructure is never sold out of the commons. The commons group issues vouchers that can be redeemed for water supply and sewage treatment. Vouchers are purchased by investors and/or customers, and the cash raised is used to build, install and maintain water and sewerage infrastructure. This avoids debt to the banking system.

Other sources of information