ABSTRACT
Forecasting is of central interest to those in the water industry who are responsible for strategic planning and the rstional design of capital investment programmes, particularly in a climate of financial restraint and increasing public accountability. The need to produce reliable forecasts of water demand in Britain is particularly acute, given a history of reliance on supply extension and premature expansion of capacity, and a consequent surplus of supply capacity in the early 1980s during industrial decline and recession.
