Groups of farmers will be offered support to work together to store water and protect against the impact of drought through a new fund launched by the government today (Monday 22 April). The £1.6 million fund will be used by farmers to investigate different methods to manage water in their area. Projects could include multi-farm […]
There’s a new gold rush in the American west. But this time, the prospectors are private firms, and they’re scouring the region for a different precious resource: water. For the past several months, the Guardian has been investigating an unprecedented deal in which a corporation, backed by global investors, sold rights to the Colorado River’s […]
South West Water is confident there will be no need for hosepipe bans in either Devon or Cornwall this year, even if we see prolonged periods of hot and dry weather. In 2022, a hosepipe ban was put in place in Cornwall and parts of North Devon after the biggest drought in the region for […]
UKWIR (UK Water Industry Research) has published an update to the Drought Code of Practice to incorporate the experience arising from the 2022 drought. Consideration has been given to new channels of communication such as social media that was not available in 2013, and agreement has been reached on how to deal with new uses […]
An investigation by Greenpeace has found that the Environment Agency said South West Water was ‘not honest’ about the risk to water supplies during the 2022 drought. From the investigation…….. We’ve uncovered some damning Environment Agency documents in which the watchdog discusses how unprepared one water company was for the record-breaking heatwave that hit the […]
Over 80 per cent of the public are concerned about the state of nature in the UK – with the health of our water vital to this majority. More than three-quarters of the public believe water reform should be a major priority for the next government following a general election. Experts believe that our water […]
The National Drought Group has reiterated the importance of sectors continuing to plan and invest for all weather events, despite third wettest autumn this century. Drought experts have highlighted the need to continue investing and preparing for droughts to ensure England is in the best possible position to deal with extreme weather events and a […]
The Environment Agency (EA) has published the results of a review of the current scientific knowledge about drought in the UK. There is also a blog about the research. It includes how drought may alter due to climate change, and what the implications are for both the catchment environment and the way we manage water […]