[Brighton] Hosepipe Ban

[happypig]

I don't know about Devon and further east, but most of the Cornish reservoirs are on quite high ground, so only catch direct rainfall and don't have water flowing in via rivers or streams. Not ideal.

They pump water extracted from rivers and bore-holes into the reservoirs. The amount they are allowed to extract varies and is determined by the Environment Agency. The reservoirs are high up so they have decent pressure (alleviates the need for re-pressurisation if they were lower).

 

[BN9 BHA]

There is a hosepipe ban in Devon . That is a surprise at this time of the year .

That is a surprise for me.
I went to North Devon on holiday a few years ago in the summer, as we left Sussex most of the grass was yellow as we had hot sunny days for a while.
As we drove into Devon all the grass was lovely and green, I don’t think we had a day without rain for the next week.

 

[nicko31]

There is a hosepipe ban in Devon . That is a surprise at this time of the year .

Cornwall too, some reservoirs still only 2/3 full

 

[BrightonCottager]

Wearing a different hat to my Fulham straw boater, I took part in an online Southern Water stakeholder business plan meeting yesterday for the Sussex area. As well as the state of rivers and the sea, a big topic was water scarcity. SW aim to reduce per capita use from about 120l/person/day to 100 by 2030 possibly by introducing higher tariffs for big users. (An average shower uses 12l/minute). There are also plans for leakage reduction, Water recycling (putting treated wastewater back into rivers) and even desalination plants on the south coast. A hosepipe ban is the least of it.

 

[Is it PotG?]

Back on again w.e.f. 26 June?

 

[B-right-on]

Back on again w.e.f. 26 June?

View attachment 162338

Yes it hasn't rained but the fresh water system (and waste water) is not built to supply the number of homes it now supplies and so the reservoirs are not up to a few weeks of dry weather.

With all the extra funds from each house, you'd have thought they'd invest in something to sort out the problem as it's likely to only get worse.

I'm no expert, but surely they'd be some way to turn salt water into drinking water on an industrial scale? We're totally surrounded by water FFS.

 

[Biscuit Barrel]

Looks like the local reservoir levels are fine.

Reservoir levels​

Get up-to-date information on the water levels in our reservoirs at Bewl Water, Darwell, Powdermill and Weir Wood.​

Only about 7% of the water we supply comes from reservoirs – follow the link to find out more about where our water comes from.
We aim to update these figures every week.

Bewl Water reservoir​

Bewl Water reservoir is the largest stretch of open water in the South East of England. It is set in 800 acres of the Kent countryside and attracts more than 150,000 visitors a year.
Capacity: 31,000 megalitres

Darwell reservoir​

Darwell reservoir provides water for the Hastings area. It was formed in the early 1950s and covers around 156 acres.
Capacity: 4,730 megalitres

Powdermill reservoir​

Powdermill reservoir provides water for the Hastings area and stores more than a billion litres of water. The picturesque spot is popular with anglers.
Capacity: 1,060 megalitres

Weir Wood reservoir​

Weir Wood reservoir is key to water supply in North Sussex. The reservoir is filled by rainwater and during a drought period the use of the reservoir is minimised to conserve supplies.

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

Someone at SE Water has a warped sense of humour - sending this out while some places in the county are into their sixth day without any water supply let alone enough to use a hosepipe.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Back on again w.e.f. 26 June?

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They must be very posh in the SE Water region to get banned from washing their BOATS !

 

[mile oak]

Am I the only one here the doesnt mind yellow grass. It recovers and avoids me endless hours grass cutting!

 

[fly high]

They must be very posh in the SE Water region to get banned from washing their BOATS !

Plenty in Eastbourne and Brighton plus nearly every other harbour town, many just small dinghy type.

 

[dadams2k11]

Well I laid a new lawn 3 weeks ago so this is not good news.

 

[wellquickwoody]

Well I laid a new lawn 3 weeks ago so this is not good news.

I used to work on a very simple theory, having not seen a prosecution for breaking the rules for many, many years before I emigrated. A privatised company still charging its customers for a service it was not/could not provide would have to be very brave to risk losing a legal case, as nobody would ever take a blind bit of notice in the future. So. I continued to have a very green oasis in a sea of brown and yellow. Never did hear from the water company.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Someone at SE Water has a warped sense of humour - sending this out while some places in the county are into their sixth day without any water supply let alone enough to use a hosepipe.

Yes, Newhaven and Peacehaven have had two full days (not consecutively) without water, at all. Peacehaven was supplied with bottled water, as was Piddinghoe, but Newhaven not.
Vulnerable people had some bottled water delivered. Burst water mains blamed.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Well I laid a new lawn 3 weeks ago so this is not good news.

Mate. I'm no Alan Titchmarsh, but even i know this is not a great plan

 

[boik]

I used to work on a very simple theory, having not seen a prosecution for breaking the rules for many, many years before I emigrated. A privatised company still charging its customers for a service it was not/could not provide would have to be very brave to risk losing a legal case, as nobody would ever take a blind bit of notice in the future. So. I continued to have a very green oasis in a sea of brown and yellow. Never did hear from the water company.

What was it Maggie said about 'no such thing as community?'

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Yes, Newhaven and Peacehaven have had two full days (not consecutively) without water, at all. Peacehaven was supplied with bottled water, as was Piddinghoe, but Newhaven not.
Vulnerable people had some bottled water delivered. Burst water mains blamed.

A local councillor has just posted this on FB.
It is time to address the whole water network.

Sean Macleod, LibDem councillor for Newhaven North, has highlighted continued issues with water supply as we experience a heat wave in Sussex lasting many weeks. We have had burst mains that South East water blame on the weather to lack of supply due to increased demand.

We see leaks that are left for months on end, to then be told in the summer we are being hit with restrictions due to the lack of rainfall. Today a hosepipe ban has been announced for Kent and Sussex. South East Water admit that they lose 88.7 million litres a day due to leaks. This is a staggering amount of water and it is no wonder that householders get frustrated by the company. Just in February they announced a 10% increase on household bills, while making millions in profit each year.

We have to see drastic improvements from South East Water as their record simply isn't acceptable. In Newhaven on a number of occasions recently we have experienced issues of supply being unable to keep up with demand.

The issue is not just fresh water. Our foul water network (Southern Water’s responsibility) is also failing. Since the beginning of May, there have been 15 hours of water leaks into the coast of Newhaven and Seaford. There has been little rain with just about 40mm reported since the 1st May, so blaming it on extreme weather events isn’t really acceptable any more. We need to see real serious change and progress from Southern Water.

Sean Macleod, LibDem councillor for Newhaven North, says, “Our residents pay thousands each year in bills and deserve better from both water companies. It is clear that we cannot trust commercial companies to keep our water supply and disposal safe and clean. We need to take water back into public ownership. Councillor MacCleary and I have spent hours on the phone this week trying to organize bottled water stations. We managed to get one for Denton area but then when most of Newhaven was without water, South East water said they were too busy.
The dumping of sewage by Southern Water has become commonplace, and they regard even massive fines as a business cost, while they continue to pay outsize dividends and bonuses. They don't change and we have a government that doesn't want to do anything. We can't have our freshwater provider becoming just as thoughtless. We need to have a serious discussion about global warming and if the water companies are really prepared”.

 

[wellquickwoody]

What was it Maggie said about 'no such thing as community?'

I get your point, as Southern Water continued to get my money. Maybe a reduced bill for periods of reduced supply may have made me use my watering can more than my hose pipe.

 

[Mr Bridger]

Back on again w.e.f. 26 June?

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You can :
Water your garden
Wash your car,
Wash your patio
Fill your paddling pool
If you fit one of these... https://watertwo.co.uk It contravenes any hosepipe ban

Assuming you have an old house with an external waste pipe, they are easy DIY fit and divert your bath/shower water onto your garden or exterior water butt.
It doesn't have to be used bath/ shower water either,( but why not reuse it) as long as it goes into your bath first, you are using it as its going down the plug hole so technically on the way to the drain, but you are intercepting the water and diverting it onto the garden. It contravenes any hosepipe ban

If using your used bath/shower water its advised not to store more than 48hrs and not to be used on vegetables etc for obvious reasons, but will certainly be good enough for lawns and borders.

 

[METALMICKY]

I'm looking on the positives. For one, I wont have to fill the kids paddling pool which is nearly the size of the Black sea and is a complete ball ache considering they then spend 5 minutes in it.