Make every drop count: tackling water scarcity in a drought

Make every drop count: tackling water scarcity in a drought

Around three quarters of England and the whole of Wales are already in drought as parts of the UK brace for the fifth heatwave of the summer.  

The extended period of dry and hot weather has led to over 20 million people under a temporary use ban (TUB) also known as a hosepipe ban, with water wholesalers under serious strain. 

For TEC members, it is important to stay up to date with the latest restrictions in your area. Even if you are in an area not under water shortage, you can take small steps which can make a big difference. You can check the MOSL’s drought restriction map to find out more: Drought restriction map – MOSL 

Please see the following FAQ information on what is a temporary use ban (TUB) and how it impacts you:  https://www.wave-utilities.co.uk/faq/temporaryuseageban

TEC’s Water Framework partner, Wave, has come up with several practical steps your institution can take to reduce water consumption. 

• Act on any High Consumption Alerts: If you’ve received a High Consumption Alert from Wave, it is important that you investigate this. 

• Combat continuous flow: If you have a smart meter and receive a continuous flow alert, it means you’re using water 24/7. If this is unusual for your institution, you should take action. 

• Address any leaks immediately: A dripping tap or leaking toilet can waste hundreds of litres of water a day and cost your institution over £300 a year per event.  

• Leave your commercial vehicles dirty: Hosepipes use 1,000 litres of water an hour, so if safe to do so, only clean the essential parts of vehicles like the windscreen, lights and number plates. 

• Stop or reduce heavy water use during peak times: 7am-11am and 4pm-11pm are when water is used the most by both non-household and household customers. 

• Reuse your water: Make use of any water capture facilities and reusing it on outside areas. 

• Create a water-savvy institution: Employees and students might not be thinking about water efficiency, so it’s worth raising awareness about how to save water and report leaks. 

• Take regular meter readings: Submitting your water meter reads will help keep track of your water usage and help you spot any unusual consumption.  

Some wholesalers are putting forward water saving campaigns such as Southern Water, and we would encourage members to take advantage of these initiatives. Please see the following link to register your interest for all members who have Southern Water as their water wholesaler:  

You save, we’ll pay – Southern Water 

Ollie Arthurs, TEC’s water specialist, said: “Given the prolonged spell of dry, hot weather, understanding water usage and driving down consumption has never been more important. Education is the second highest consumer of water by sector and there are many steps institutions can take to reduce their water use.”  

If you have any questions about the drought and water usage, get in touch with your MSA.