Water is a precious resource – but it can't be taken for granted. Climate change, and the more extreme weather that comes with it, means that water supply is becoming more unpredictable than in years gone by.
The UK's reputation for a rainy climate distracts from how the relationship between rainfall and the water available to us really works. Water companies capture much less rain for our use than people commonly assume, with parts of the UK already subject to water stress. In fact, 12 out of the 23 water companies operating in areas of England are rated as being under "serious" stress (2019). The UK water demand is set to rise in the next few years, so it's getting even more important to make the most of what we have.
Water used in the home accounts for over half of all public water supply use. At the same time, industrial and commercial water consumption has declined, in part due to more water-efficient processes. Perhaps surprisingly, agriculture only uses 1% of our water resources. We use far more water than previous generations.
Currently, the average household in the UK uses around 330 litres of water a day, that’s 140 litres per head, every day and around 17% of the average heating bill relates to heating water. Most of us also underestimate the energy water companies need to treat and pump water into homes.
Sources: The Energy Saving Trust and Ofwat
The water companies in England and Wales manage a network of 335,000 km of pipes and there are almost 24 million connections to properties and supply pipes within customer’s homes and buildings. All of these have the capacity to leak.
The cost of not fixing a leak includes environmental damage and the cost of developing new water resources to compensate for the water lost through leaks (Ofwat 2019).
Did you know that our street drains lead straight to our local rivers. Road drains were designed to just take rainwater but unfortunately carry anything else that is washed or poured down them.
Paints, household waste and oils are allowed to enter road drains everyday and this causes pollution of our waterways and increased costs in water treatment to provide drinking water.
The local voluntary river conservation group CATCH (Community Action to Transform the Cale Habitat) works to improve and maintain biodiversity and a healthy ecosystem in the River Cale which flows through Wincanton. The River Cale is part of the Stour Catchment which is managed by Wessex Water so a healthy River Cale also has a positive effect on our own water supply.
For more information and details of how to get involved go to www.rivercale.org
