Tougher water use restrictions could be introduced across the south of England this winter to stop homes running out of water next year.
On Friday, Wessex Water became the latest water company to apply for permission to restrict businesses’ water usage to prevent a “day zero” scenario of public water supply running dry.
The majority of England remains in drought and parts of the south are in severe drought following the exceptionally dry and hot summer.
The Environment Agency has warned above average rainfall is needed over the coming months to replenish reservoirs.
Although October rainfall was above average, reservoir levels remain significantly below normal. November has started exceptionally dry and the outlook for winter rainfall remains uncertain.
As a result, water companies are looking at a range of measures, including restrictions on businesses and taking more water from rivers, in order to shore up their water supply.
Water Minister, Emma Hardy, said: “Despite the recent rain, the situation remains serious. As we move through autumn and winter, we now face the challenge of having drought and flood simultaneously as the rain struggles to be absorbed by the hardened ground.”
Where new restrictions could be brought in
Approximately 30 million households across the south and east of England are currently impacted by hosepipe bans.
The next stage of restrictions are non-essential use bans (NEUB) for businesses, which would place limits on car washing, watering sports pitches, cleaning office windows with a hosepipe and filing private swimming pools.
On Friday, Wessex became the fourth water company to apply to the Government for permission to introduce these restrictions, following applications from South East and South West Water in October, and one from Southern Water in July.
If approved, Wessex’s restrictions would cover its entire operating area, which includes most of Dorset, Somerset and Bristol, as well as most of Wiltshire and parts of Hampshire and Gloucestershire.
South East Water’s restrictions would cover parts of Sussex, while South West Water’s would cover parts of Devon and Dorset. Southern Water’s restrictions would cover parts of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
The Environment Secretary, Angela Eagle, is yet to make a decision on any of these applications and is understood to be waiting to see whether the situation deteriorates further.
In its application for the restrictions, known as a Drought Order, Wessex Water said the NEUB may be needed due to the “serious deficiency” of water within its reservoirs, which fell to 23.4 per cent capacity in the middle of October.
The reservoirs have now increased to 28 per cent capacity following recent rainfall, however, Wessex Water said the restrictions may still be needed to prevent more severe measures next year in the event of a dry winter.
These more severe measures could lead to the need for standpipes in the streets or rota cuts to the water supply in a worst case scenario.
Other water companies are in a similar position. Richard Stanbrook, South West Water’s Drought Programme Director, said recent rainfall was having a “positive impact” but “pressure on supply remains significant”.
Nick Price, Head of Water Resources at South East Water said they have applied for an NEUB as a “precaution… so that this option could be available should conditions deteriorate”.
Could we hit ‘day zero’ water shortages?
Wessex Water said the levels in its reservoirs has triggered “emergency planning activities” for a “day zero” situation where water supply could be lost.
The phrase “day zero” is a term used across the world for regulators to plan for a date where households in a city or region run out of water and have to collect water rations from communal areas.
The Environment Agency has stressed that nowhere in the UK is close to reaching “day zero” within the coming months, however, experts say the use of the phrase demonstrates the severity of the situation.
Alastair Chisholm, water policy lead at the consultancy Arup, said: “The term day zero is quite an alarming term and has its roots in experiences in other countries where they have come really close to there not being water to supply public networks.”
He said there are many measures water companies can introduce to avoid reaching this point, which include abstracting more water from the environment, as well as the restrictions on businesses that are currently being applied for.
The Environment Agency places limits on how much water can be taken from rivers and other natural sources to protect the environment, but these limits can be suspended during times of drought.
This is already happening across the country and water companies continue to apply for permission for their licenses to be altered.
Last week, South West Water applied for permission to abstract additional water from the River Fowey in Cornwall to “mitigate against the potential threat to public water supply that could materialise in late summer 2027 under dry condition”.
The water company admitted the proposals would have an impact on the environment, including the migration of Atlantic salmon and sea trout. However, it said the action would help prevent “more environmentally damaging interventions during 2027”.
Chisholm added: “The environment will be a loser if push comes to shove. They will have to increase abstraction levels into levels that are really not good for the environment.”
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