Hosepipe bans on the way?

[CoolHands]

Those fking water company s are running out of water! Already had a letter from our one affinity water warning us to reduce consumption and giving a woe is me sob story.

We live in the uk! Unbelievable. Bunch of wkers

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52893790

[Last Visit]

My recollection of last winter was that it rained and rained and rained. And then rained some more.

[towser44]

I had an email this week from my water company requesting to use less water and tips to do so (United Utilities in the North West)

[ukbabz]

Checks the forecast... rain for the next few days, sounds about right!

[rjg48]

Last Visit said:

My recollection of last winter was that it rained and rained and rained. And then rained some more.

All now evaporated due to a nice summer. Sorry, Global Warming.

[Robertj21a]

The problem isn't the quantity in the reservoirs (apparently 80% full), it's that the volume we have been getting through is more than they can treat/create each day.

[Cold]

February was the wettest February on record. Conversely, May has been the sunniest month on record and the driest May.

We should probably have some sort of system in place to store all the floodwater for when it's needed three months later.

[Dogwatch]

Wettest February for years or something.

They don't bother to plug leaky pipes as a) it costs money and the shareholders won't like that, b) it always rains in the UK so reservoirs will soon be topped up again - won't they?

I forgot c) The punters will all have to learn to use less water because climate change so better start now.

[panholio]

As robertj21a says it is demand not reserves.

Mainly paddling pools and sprinklers. Lockdown plus nice weather has meant everyone is out in the garden.

Farmers must be welcoming the forecast rain over the next few days. Fields near me are dry as. Amazes me how well the crops seem to hold up to it though, but I suspect they’ll be really welcoming a soak tonight.

[aeropilot]

Cold said:

February was the wettest February on record. Conversely, May has been the sunniest month on record and the driest May.

.......and driest May with pretty much most of the population at home, which has probably upped consumption even more in the past 2 months.

Cold said:

We should probably have some sort of system in place to store all the floodwater for when it's needed three months later.

Building more storage, especially for collecting of flood water is far too sensible an idea.......and that sort of infrastructure future proofing is not something HMG have been inclined to spend money on. The Govt have much better ways of pissing money down the drain instead.

[Dr Doofenshmirtz]

The extra demand if from all the flipping housing estates that are popping everywhere. Thousands more houses, but no new reservoirs...it doesn't take much to realise what the issue is here.

[panholio]

aeropilot said:

Building more storage, especially for collecting of flood water is far too sensible an idea.......and that sort of infrastructure future proofing is not something HMG have been inclined to spend money on. The Govt have much better ways of pissing money down the drain instead.

Water companies have been private since 1990. The government spend nothing on drinking water.

[panholio]

Dr Doofenshmirtz said:

The extra demand if from all the flipping housing estates that are popping everywhere. Thousands more houses, but no new reservoirs...it doesn't take much to realise what the issue is here.

It’s the ability to treat it, not the amount available in raw water supplies. The water treatment works simply cannot push enough though to meet the demand.

[aeropilot]

panholio said:

aeropilot said:

Building more storage, especially for collecting of flood water is far too sensible an idea.......and that sort of infrastructure future proofing is not something HMG have been inclined to spend money on. The Govt have much better ways of pissing money down the drain instead.

Water companies have been private since 1990. The government spend nothing on drinking water.

That was kind of my point.....and likewise, no new water treatment plants either. I worked on the design of the major upgrade of the Water Treatment plant at Ashford Common in the late very late 80's just before the privatisation. I wonder if it was also the last one as well?

[panholio]

aeropilot said:

panholio said:

aeropilot said:

Building more storage, especially for collecting of flood water is far too sensible an idea.......and that sort of infrastructure future proofing is not something HMG have been inclined to spend money on. The Govt have much better ways of pissing money down the drain instead.

Water companies have been private since 1990. The government spend nothing on drinking water.

That was kind of my point.....and likewise, no new water treatment plants either. I worked on the design of the major upgrade of the Water Treatment plant at Ashford Common in the late very late 80's just before the privatisation. I wonder if it was also the last one as well?

Been plenty of new water treatment plants and upgrades to existing ones built since 1990. Water companies have spent hundreds of billions on capital projects since privatisation.

[cherryowen]

Dr Doofenshmirtz said:

The extra demand if from all the flipping housing estates that are popping everywhere. Thousands more houses, but no new reservoirs...it doesn't take much to realise what the issue is here.

That's a fair point WRT extra demand, however not all reservoirs are visible; many are huge underground reinforced concrete structures. Our company recently completed a concrete reservoir that will be backfilled until completely covered to augment the supply of potable water to a medium sized town in North Wales. Total capacity 740,000 gallons, and that's a little 'un.

Anyway.

Here in NE Shropshire, we've had 1.5 days of rain since the first week of March.

We really could do with something meaningful

[57Ford]

panholio said:

Been plenty of new water treatment plants and upgrades to existing ones built since 1990. Water companies have spent hundreds of billions on capital projects since privatisation.

...have spent (and wasted)....
As well as some well-targeted spending, at large amount has gone on poor quality or misguided repairs and management systems and a lack of timely investment in new technology and infrastructure. They must form a decent part of the costs for at least 3 water companies I’ve had involvement with.
Anyway, I’d suggest that rather than any possible overload in immediate demand (which could probably be made up for during the night) their concerns are more based on the effects that a particularly dry summer may have. They’d get no thanks if they turned round in late July and said ‘Right, we’re empty until September’.

[85Carrera]

rjg48 said:

All now evaporated due to a nice summer. Sorry, Global Warming.

Nonsense.

More likely, lost through leakages which have not been fixed to maintain shareholder returns/ensure the massively overpaid bosses of these water firms continue to coin it in.

Edited by 85Carrera on Tuesday 2nd June 23:08

[Killer2005]

Better get my hot tub cleaned out this weekend then

[voyds9]

Why is it such a shock to the water companies that it rains more in the winter and less in summer.
They should have by now worked out a system to store it, clean it, deliver it us, collect it back and clean it again.
They've only had a couple of hundred years to work it out.