News
Summer Water Shortages Could Be A Reality.
It might seem like summer is a long way away but it’ll be here before we know it – and it seems it could bring with it a few months of drought and water shortages, at least according to official warnings earlier this month (January 6th).
According to the Environment Agency, rainfall was indeed notably low in a lot of the south-east of the country between September and November 2017. In fact, some parts of the region saw the lowest rainfall in October and November put together since 1978, the Independent reports.
Now, suppliers like Southern Water are taking steps to avoid having to implement a hosepipe ban later in 2018 after it announced that the Bewl Water reservoir had reached exceptionally low levels. It is less than half full at the moment but it should be at about 75 per cent capacity at this time of year.
Because of the low water levels, the supplier has since put in an application to the Environment Agency for a drought permit, which would allow it to pump water from the River Medway into the reservoir to help top up supplies.
South East Water has also issued a warning over water levels, saying that they’re lower than the company would like for this time of year – and above average rainfall this winter is necessary. It will be monitoring reservoirs closely moving forward and the company’s head of water resources Lee Dance advised customers to use their water wisely at the moment.
Southern Water’s Dr Alison Hoyle was quoted by the news source as saying: “The dry winter last year left Bewl depleted when it would normally be full. Summer rains helped slightly but a very dry autumn and early winter makes it important that we use every tool at our disposal to ensure that the Bewl refills over the winter.
“The reservoir is a key resource. As well as supplying our customers in the Medway towns, Thanet and Hastings. It is vital that we can put more water into it and we would like to see it reach levels of 75 per cent before the end of March.”
So what can customers do to conserve water at this time and help prevent the introduction of a hosepipe ban come the summer?
Investing in more eco-friendly products in the workplace is certainly one step that businesses can take – and the more people you employ, the more necessary this is. Products like eco toilets with dual flushes can be beneficial, as can the likes of tap aerators and so on.
You might also like to look into rainwater harvesting systems in the UK as well, which involves collecting and storing the rainwater on your roof area. This can be filtered and reused for the likes of laundry, toilet flushing, vehicle washing and more, helping you to reduce your water consumption – and even your energy bills into the bargain!