Hosepipe ban looms warns Environment Agency (From Daily Echo)
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Southern Water unveils plans to deal with possible water shortages
2:20pm Wednesday 15th February 2012 in News
Hosepipe bans could be introduced within weeks.
SOUTHERN Water’s battle plan for coping with a severe water shortage has been revealed.
The blueprint outlines how the company would ensure it would continue supplying customers with safe, healthy drinking water under extreme and dry conditions.
It comes as Environment Agency experts have warned hosepipe bans could be in place around Britain as soon as the spring, as the country faces a drought.
Householders could see strict rules introduced within weeks to stop them filling up paddling pools or using sprinklers in the garden as a record dry 18 months has left reservoirs at perilously low levels.
Southern Water’s plan outlines “triggers” used to predict droughts.
These are based on regular measurements of rainfall, soil moisture, groundwater levels, river flows, reservoir levels and the demand for water.
If these indicators were met at any point, the utility firm would introduce bans on certain types of heavy use.
In severe droughts, it would apply for permission to take more water from rivers and underground aquifers, or use water from wetter regions.
The plan comes as thousands of homes across Southampton are being fitted with water meters in a bid to cope with the demands of an increasing population, largely fuelled by immigration.
A lack of rainfall in January has followed the driest year since 1976, leading to fears of a drought.
Trevor Bishop, the Environment Agency’s head of water resources, said: “We haven’t seen anything this severe for at least two decades. It is highly probable that we are going to have a drought across the southeast, East Anglia and the East Midlands.”
But despite reservoir levels plummeting to their lowest in 40 years, Southern Water bosses have ruled out a hosepipe ban for Hampshire this year. By law the firm must have new plans every three years and then ask people what they think.
The deadline for public feedback is March 30. A response will be published in May.
Comments(22)
townieboy
says...
2:55pm Wed 15 Feb 12
Sovietobserver
says...
3:26pm Wed 15 Feb 12
helennj
says...
3:29pm Wed 15 Feb 12
roofspace
says...
3:36pm Wed 15 Feb 12
geoff51
says...
3:39pm Wed 15 Feb 12
It is about time they sorted out this problem or refunded some of our water bills
Roy S
says...
4:03pm Wed 15 Feb 12
loosehead
says...
4:28pm Wed 15 Feb 12
they say it's to dear yet the Greeks do it by powering the plant with a wind turbine so cutting the electrical costs.
Sea levels are rising less rainfall yet were surrounded by the stuff.
you can have what you like as you pay for it but you can't use it for this you can't use it for that?
just get investing in water desalination
dango
says...
4:35pm Wed 15 Feb 12
Sovietobserver wrote:at least due the lack of foreseen snow this winter, you can save a fortune on snow shovels!
Up goes the price of watering cans then, to some extortionate price.
dango
says...
4:41pm Wed 15 Feb 12
loosehead wrote:nothing so drastic needed, I mean, if they can pip oil from the Ukraine to Western Europe, how hard can it be to pipe water from The Lake District or elsewhere to the south? It's virtually downhill all the way so what's the problem?
I've just had a water meter fitted & as they've already been given permission to raise our water costs why the hell aren't they investing in desalination plants?
they say it's to dear yet the Greeks do it by powering the plant with a wind turbine so cutting the electrical costs.
Sea levels are rising less rainfall yet were surrounded by the stuff.
you can have what you like as you pay for it but you can't use it for this you can't use it for that?
just get investing in water desalination
Huffter
says...
5:14pm Wed 15 Feb 12
Matt Probert
says...
5:33pm Wed 15 Feb 12
Cough cough! What's that smell? It's brown, it's of bovine origin...yes folks its .......
Water meters were fitted nationwide, not to reduce water consumption, but to increase profits for the water corporations.
Reminds me of a song by Abba.
Money...Money...Mone
y...
Matt
dango
says...
7:21pm Wed 15 Feb 12
Sovietobserver
says...
7:45pm Wed 15 Feb 12
dango wrote:dango, CLASSIC !
are hose pipe ban looms the same sort of machines as knitting looms?
cbcars60
says...
8:09pm Wed 15 Feb 12
opera phantom
says...
8:37pm Wed 15 Feb 12
could become short of water because
of immigration. This tosser government
needs to get a grip of immigration.
When will these useless politicians
realise that this b...y country is over crowded.
geoff51
says...
8:46pm Wed 15 Feb 12
opera phantom wrote:Remember it was the last Labour government that let them all in to boost their votes, once in its very difficult for the Conservatives to send them home especially with the interference of the EU and the Human rights do gooders
Who would have thought that we
could become short of water because
of immigration. This tosser government
needs to get a grip of immigration.
When will these useless politicians
realise that this b...y country is over crowded.
geoff51
says...
8:46pm Wed 15 Feb 12
opera phantom wrote:Remember it was the last Labour government that let them all in to boost their votes, once in its very difficult for the Conservatives to send them home especially with the interference of the EU and the Human rights do gooders
Who would have thought that we
could become short of water because
of immigration. This tosser government
needs to get a grip of immigration.
When will these useless politicians
realise that this b...y country is over crowded.
loosehead
says...
9:16pm Wed 15 Feb 12
dango wrote:dango there was a scheme to pump water into rivers/canals up country then for it to be extracted & so on & so on until it got to the areas that were short but & I don't know honestly who was in power but they scrapped it.
loosehead wrote:nothing so drastic needed, I mean, if they can pip oil from the Ukraine to Western Europe, how hard can it be to pipe water from The Lake District or elsewhere to the south? It's virtually downhill all the way so what's the problem?
I've just had a water meter fitted & as they've already been given permission to raise our water costs why the hell aren't they investing in desalination plants?
they say it's to dear yet the Greeks do it by powering the plant with a wind turbine so cutting the electrical costs.
Sea levels are rising less rainfall yet were surrounded by the stuff.
you can have what you like as you pay for it but you can't use it for this you can't use it for that?
just get investing in water desalination
the water companies convinced the last government that to save water & to cut costs to the consumer they had to install water meters so they were given the go ahead.
They have now gone to the authority to get above inflation rises to carry upgrades & fix faults to cut water losses.
They even have changed the rules about who pays for the leaky pipes & the consumer now has to cover the cost for a lot more than they did.
the new meters are suppose to detect leaks for them & after three fixes you have tom cover the costs.
Personally I agree with many of you & I feel this is a total lie & they just want bigger profits.
They told my friend if she had more than three minutes in a shower she would be wasting water & it would cost her a lot more for her water?
forest hump
says...
10:38pm Wed 15 Feb 12
ng away...utility companies feed from this trash. Just ignore. Do not go on a meter unless it is absolutely necessary. Get water butts. These parasites will stop at nothing.
Sovietobserver
says...
10:48pm Wed 15 Feb 12
forest hump wrote:They'll put a tax on water butts.
It's all speculation! Politicians, media et al love speculation and scaremongering. They feed and breed off of it. Barbecue summers, Siberian winters! Nothing better to print. Meanwhile....chuckli
ng away...utility companies feed from this trash. Just ignore. Do not go on a meter unless it is absolutely necessary. Get water butts. These parasites will stop at nothing.
loosehead
says...
8:36am Thu 16 Feb 12
forest hump wrote:I wouldn't have had a water meter but the last government made it so you have to have a meter you have no choice
It's all speculation! Politicians, media et al love speculation and scaremongering. They feed and breed off of it. Barbecue summers, Siberian winters! Nothing better to print. Meanwhile....chuckli
ng away...utility companies feed from this trash. Just ignore. Do not go on a meter unless it is absolutely necessary. Get water butts. These parasites will stop at nothing.
freefinker says...
2:36pm Wed 15 Feb 12
'Hampshire hosepipe bans could begin in the spring'.
and.
'Southern Water bosses have ruled out a hosepipe ban for Hampshire this year.'
So, Echo, what is it to be?