Water demand in Midlands reaches all-time high - The Rugby Observer

Water demand in Midlands reaches all-time high

Rugby Editorial 11th Jul, 2018   0

DEMAND for water in the Midlands reached an all-time high last weekend – prompting a plea from the region’s supplier to avoid waste.

On Sunday (July 8) demand on Severn Trent Water’s supplies spiked to reach levels a whopping third more than normal.

It was equivalent to every man, woman and child supplied by the company drinking an extra 200 pints of water in one day.

With June being the driest on record in some areas and the heatwave set to continue into next week, the supplier is calling on people to think about how they use what a spokesman described as an ‘ever-more precious resource’.




The company’s treatment works have pumped out an extra three billion litres of water in the last two weeks, the equivalent of 1,200 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Doug Clarke, Severn Trent’s top water efficiency boffin, said people using sprinklers and hosepipes to water their gardens meant demand was spiking for treated water at a time when it was better used for drinking, washing and flushing toilets.


He said: “We’ve only got so much treated water we can pump out, and we just need people to think about what they’d rather use it for – a shower or a sprinkler.

“This isn’t about the amount of water we have in our reservoirs; it’s about the speed with which the treated drinking water is being used.

“On Sunday we saw everyone use an extra 100 litres of water. It’s better to use treated water for drinking, washing and for flushing the toilet and not for watering the garden or washing the car.

“We really need everyone’s help. If we could all reduce our water consumption by 30 litres per person a day, it would make a massive difference.”

Severn Trent issued the following advice:

  • Don’t use garden sprinklers
  • Shave a minute off your shower
  • Avoid washing your car – but if you have to, use a bucket and sponge rather than a hose.

Visit www.stwater.co.uk for more information.

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