With higher temperatures here, South East Water has some top tips to keep cool, keep hydrated and keep plants blooming – all while keeping a watchful eye on water use.
During a hot spell the average amount of water each person uses each day can increase by more than 50 per cent.
This can not only result in a higher bill, but it puts pressure on the water network as an extra one million litres of drinking water a day is produced to meet this extra demand - the equivalent of 1.25 million flushes of the toilet.
Nick Price, Head of Water Resources, South East Water, said: “All of our raw water resources are in a healthy position at the current time following this winter and spring’s record rainfall.
“As with last year, we do not expect there to be any shortage of raw water available for treatment but with the extended hot periods we have experienced in the South East in the last few summers, we haven’t always been able to treat and pump the water to our customers quickly enough during those periods of very high demand.
“This means that our drinking water storage tanks are sometime unable to refill fully overnight.”
The company says tap water is now increasingly being used for recreational activities in the garden such as filling paddling pools along with watering plants.
Nick added: “Saving water has never been more important with the predicted risk of water shortages by 2050 because of hotter drier summers caused by climate change as well as an increasing population.
“Everyone can make a difference by making one small change to be more mindful and adopting some simple hints and tips to save water.”
Top tips include:
- Let nature water the grass - Allow lawns to go golden – they will soon go green again when it rains
- Save paddling pool water - Reuse paddling pool water for plants and grass
- Put down the garden hose - Use watering cans for plants and flower beds, instead of garden hoses
- Running taps are wasteful - Don’t let taps run when brushing teeth – turn them off
- Take shorter showers - Knocking a minute or two off to take shorter four-minute showers to save energy and water
- Fill the dishwasher - Don’t use the dishwasher until it is full
- Water(less) way to go – Cars can be cleaned without any water with waterless wash kits and microfibre cloth.
For water saving tips along with water efficiency freebies go to www.southeastwater.co.uk/waterlatest
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