Water Reservoir Levels in North West at 69% due to Lack of Rainfall
Driest start to a year across England since the 1950s
The warm and especially dry weather is a bonus for many and something to be enjoyed. It is also bringing challenges in terms of water resources and its impact for the local environment, on soil conditions and for wildlife. In the last week, we have seen three significant fires in the Goyt Valley, on Rishworth Moor and in Delamere Forest that have caused extensive damage and have caught and spread very quickly as a result of the very dry ground across the region.
Here in the North West, the lack of rainfall over the last couple of months has led to lower than usual reservoir levels with regional storage currently at 69%, compared to over 90% this time last year. You can visit the link below to see the levels of the reservoir that serves your area.
Moving water around
We have been preparing for the dry weather and moving water around our system through our interconnected pipework so that we can send water from one part of the region to another to ‘top up’ areas that are lower where we need to. By accelerating investment planned for the next five years we can also access additional water supplies in the coming weeks to help get more water into our pipes and out to your taps. The teams are working flat out to make this happen.
Finding and fixing leaks
We’re committed to doing everything we can to find leaks. We now have over 100 teams working around the clock, fixing over 800 leaks a week on a network of water pipes that is big enough to stretch around the world, which is saving more than 3.5 million litres a day. If you spot a leak when you’re out and about, let us know and we’ll get straight on it.
Protecting water resources and increased resilience
We’re committed to doing everything we can to find leaks. We now have over 100 teams working around the clock, fixing over 800 leaks a week on a network of water pipes that is big enough to stretch around the world, which is saving more than 3.5 million litres a day. If you spot a leak when you’re out and about, let us know and we’ll get straight on it.
Small steps can save huge amounts of water
In the meantime, whilst we are building this infrastructure the small things we do can make a difference. On average, each one of us uses around 140 litres of water a day. Taking just one minute less in the shower will save 12 litres and one fewer load of washing will save around 40 litres. To put that into context, 40 litres is equivalent to 70 pints of milk.
A lot of this water is often lost through unintentional wastage, such as household leaks and even running taps and showers as we’re waiting for the water to heat up.
It can be relatively easy to reduce the amount of water used and even small changes add up to make a big difference.
Fixing leaky loos and dripping taps, which are big water wasters, could save up to 400 litres day.
Taking the garden challenge – do you think you could go without using fresh tap water in the garden? You can re-use and recycle by:
Catching clean water in a bowl that would usually go down the drain for example when rinsing fruit, salad and vegetables or when waiting for it to heat it up.
Using mulch in the garden, so mix your soil with bark or straw to retain water in your flower beds, it can also help slow down weed growth and prevent slugs and snails.
Getting your water butt ready for the next time it does rain – hints and tips here.
There’s also a lot more information on water saving here on the CCW podcast and you can find more on our website by simply clicking the link below.
Conserving water where you can not only helps the local environment but saves money on your water and energy bills too.
Being careful when we are out and about
The wildfires we have seen in the last week have done a huge amount of damage so as we get out and about in the sunshine this weekend and the warm days ahead, please take care not drop or leave items that could cause a fire risk.
Together we can all do our bit.
Many thanks,
Matt Hemmings
Chief Operating Officer