To help us ensure there's enough water for everyone, we have now applied to the Environment Agency (EA) for a Drought Permit in Sussex.
When we are in drought and water resources are under significant pressure, a Drought Permit can allow us to amend the conditions of the abstraction licenses that set out how we take water from natural water sources like rivers and aquifers.
For our application in Sussex, we are asking for two changes:
- Reduce the amount of additional water we must release from Ardingly Reservoir into the Shell Brook tributary of the River Ouse, to help us keep more water in the reservoir.
- Reduce the minimum flow of water that must remain in the River Ouse after we’ve taken water from the river to keep your taps flowing.
These changes are designed to minimise the impact on the environment.
Why is a Drought Permit in Sussex needed?
The weather in 2026 has also been exceptional. The Met Office is saying it is likely to be the warmest summer on record(opens in a new tab) and we’ve had the driest July since records began 190 years ago. We’ve also seen the highest daily demand for water in recent years and recurrent heatwaves with 35-degree celsius (and above) temperatures reached in four separate calendar months (May, June, July and August).
Our reservoirs in Sussex are also continuing to fall, therefore, we are looking at other ways to protect water supplies, including applying for this Drought Permit.
What happens now?
Since we applied, a consultation period was opened, which has now closed. It is now with the Environment Agency to review the application and inform us of their decision.
We will update this page with the outcome of the application.