Protecting England’s water supply: What’s being done and how you can help

With the UK now experiencing its fourth heat wave of the year the National Drought Group, which includes the Met Office, government, regulators, water companies, the National Farmers’ Union and others, met earlier this week. The group discussed what actions could be taken during what it described as a “nationally significant” water shortfall affecting many parts of England.

With five areas of England officially in drought and six more experiencing prolonged dry weather (the stage before drought) the challenge is real. The six months to July have been the driest since 1976 when, famously, standpipes were needed in the street to manage demand.

The National Drought Group praised public efforts to cut use and follow restrictions. Yorkshire Water, Thames Water, Southern Water and South East Water all have temporary use bans in place – for some or all of their customers. In Yorkshire, restrictions have led to a 10% drop in daily household water use – saving 80 million litres each day, equivalent to 32 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

How water companies are responding

Water companies are doing everything they can to preserve water and prevent the need for any further restrictions. Companies are setting new records for fixing leaks as well as moving water across their regions to support the driest areas. Yorkshire Water and United Utilities are repairing more than 800 leaks every week, and other companies are repairing pipes at a similar rate.  

Not only that, but companies are also supporting other sectors to get enough water. Severn Trent has distributed 700 x 1,100 litre portable water containers to farmers and several to the West Midlands Safari Park, ensuring livestock and animals have water.  

Companies are also increasingly turning to technology to save water.  Anglian Water’s satellite technology has helped prioritise leak detection, saving over 320,000 litres of water a day in rural areas, enough to supply 1,000 homes. Southern Water has reduced leakage by 20% in 12 months and installed 24,000 acoustic sensors. Meanwhile Thames Water has installed over one million smart meters, which are critical in helping locate leaks while also allowing customers to better manage their bills.

How you can help

With hot weather set to continue into the weekend we can all do our bit to use water wisely. Even small changes at home and in the garden can make a big difference.

Our Water’s Worth Saving campaign provides helpful tips on all the little things we can all do to cut our water use.

These include:

• Ditching the garden hose – use watering cans for lawns, plants and flower beds
• Reusing paddling pool water – reuse paddling pool water for your plants and grass
• Don’t wash your car – Save yourself a chore and proudly let your car stay dirty or wash it with a bucket instead of a hose and save 200 litres of water!
• Scrape your BBQ – removing the worst bits can save water and reduces greasy waste
• Only running the dishwasher when full – the average dishwasher uses 10 litres of water each time. Reduce your water use and energy bills by using it less often