The Environment Agency convened the National Drought Group, made up of senior decision makers from Environment Agency, government, water companies, Water UK, the NFU and environmental protection groups including the Angling Trust and Rivers Trust. The group discussed the current situation and agreed actions to protect water resources and the environment in the UK in the weeks ahead.

Following Tuesday’s meeting, the National Drought Group’s members agreed to continue to work closely together to monitor and manage the current situation, including convening the National Drought Group’s water supply and communications sub-groups.

Harvey Bradshaw, Environment Agency executive director for the environment and chair of the NDG, said: While last week’s extreme high temperatures are now behind us and there are currently no plans for restrictions on essential water use, we can all do our bit by reducing unnecessary water consumption and following advice from our water company to ensure this remains the case whilst our rivers are exceptionally low.

Current situation

Most of England has moved into ‘Prolonged Dry Weather’ status – meaning the EA is now taking precautionary actions to mitigate impacts as hydrological conditions deteriorate and enhancing its monitoring and protection of water resources, along with the water companies.

Nowhere in England is currently considered to be ‘in drought’ and most water companies are maintaining good reservoir storage for summer demand. If further measures are required, temporary use bans (more commonly known as hosepipe bans) will be determined by individual water companies and drought permits and drought orders by the Environment Agency and Defra respectively.

Background

The National Drought Group meets twice yearly (spring and autumn) to assess the water resource situation ahead and any risks to water supply and the environment. It met in March ahead of the spring/summer season and is planned to meet in October this year ahead of the winter season. The group convenes at the early stages of drought (known as prolonged dry weather), and it met regularly through 2018-2020 to manage the last drought.

This story was covered in the BBC, the Guardian and Sky. The full news release from the Environment Agency can be read here.