The problem with droughts, unlike floods, is that they are slow train issues … by the time you realise you have a problem it’s too late.   The ongoing hot weather and prolonged period of low or no rain has led to United Utilities being the first of the big companies to introduce a hose pip ban. The problem in the current climate of Water Company bashing there is the collateral damage to company reputations when this looks very much like another failure, not least when leakage rates are so high. This article highlights some of the current responses.

The Guardian national summary Daily use = daily leakage levels  ‘The water company ordering a hosepipe ban on 7m households in the north-west of England has the second-worst record for leaking pipes of any supplier, industry data shows. The temporary use ban being imposed by United Utilities from 5 August has led to calls for water firms to do more to tackle leakage on their networks. United Utilities is second only to Thames Water for the amount of water lost en route to households, at 133 litres per property per day, well above the sector’s average of 121 litres. The amount of water wasted through leaking pipes is almost identical to regional average daily use, which stands at 132 litres per customer.

The Environment Agency reports show what is happening in stark terms The EA rainfall and river flows summary provide an all red and stark warning of the issues

United Utilities announces ‘temporary use ban’

Defra ‘Today United Utilities announced that a hosepipe ban would be needed in the north west from the 5th of August there is no rain before then. The water restrictions will ban the use of hosepipes or sprinklers for watering private gardens and washing private cars affecting around 7 million people in the region. The announcement has been covered widely in national media today, including the ExpressDaily MailThe TimesDaily MirrorDaily TelegraphThe GuardianThe IThe Sun , Daily StarBBC Online and ITV Online, and Huffington Post. This follows a very warm and dry start to the summer in a region where water supplies are drawn from reservoirs and rivers. Environment Agency Director of water, land and biodiversity Pete Fox gave interviews to the Today Programme, BBC 5 Live and BBC Victoria Derbyshire.

The Environment Agency is urging people to follow water company advice to use water wisely during these hotter summer months to help manage demand and reduce the impact on the environment. The overall water resources situation across England is looking generally healthy. Groundwater levels throughout England are now starting to naturally decline as expected for the time of year but remain within normal levels the start of summer. Rivers, lakes and reservoirs are also broadly where they should be for this time of year. Although during dry spells it’s not unusual for some rivers and lakes in faster responding water catchments to drop quickly but they tend to recover quickly when the rain returns.

Environment Agency operational teams and hydrologists continually monitor water levels throughout the year and will determine what action is needed. During hot weather we work with water companies and other organisations to reduce the impacts of the hot weather on the environment. The action we take includes incident response, regulating water abstraction, advising businesses and farmers on water usage and monitoring for environmental impacts. Click here for more information from the Environment Agency on wise use

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