 A year on.
It is hard to believe but this time last year South East Water introduced temporary water use restrictions following two back to back dry winters which left its water reserves at seriously low levels.
The restrictions came into effect on 5th April 2012 after drought was declared in the South East of England, as well as parts of the East Midlands and Eastern England.
However, a year on and following record rainfall in 2012, water levels across the South East have risen dramatically. Ardingly Reservoir, in West Sussex, and Arlington Reservoir, in East Sussex, are both more than 99 per cent full, while the majority of underground water sources are at normal levels, having been topped up during the wet winter months.
Lee Dance, Head of Water Resources and Environmental at South East Water, said: “Last year the reservoirs were at seriously low levels and, with no guarantee of wet weather, we had no option but to introduce temporary water use restrictions.
“We were thankful to our customers who took the drought seriously and made a real effort to save water.”
While the summer rain in 2012 saw the temporary water use ban lifted within a few weeks of being introduced, the need to use water wisely continues.
Lee added: “There is one thing we can be sure of and that is that our weather remains unpredictable. That is why we are working hard to ensure we secure water supplies by investing in new resources, installing new pipelines to move water around our network and tackling leaks as quickly as possible.
“Planning the water we need - for both today’s and tomorrow’s customers - is a long term business, and so later this Spring we will publish our future plans which set out how we intend to secure water supplies - whatever the weather.”
For more tips on using water wisely please go to www.southeastwater.co.uk
Article posted on: 03 April 2013
< List all News
|
