Watering Ban In Place Across SE England - BBC

[hatrack]

Britain's biggest water company will ban hosepipes and sprinklers from next month, the firm has announced.
Thames Water, whose eight million customers will be affected by the ban, says two unusually dry winters have caused "serious" water shortages. The ban is the first in 15 years for the firm, which operates across the Thames Valley, in London, and from Kent to Gloucestershire.

Hosepipe bans are already in place throughout much of south-east England. Thames Water's announcement follows decisions by Sutton and East Surrey Water, South East Water, Southern Water, Mid Kent Water, and Cholderton and District Water to ban hosepipes.

And earlier this month, ministers granted Folkestone and Dover Water the power to install compulsory metering in homes it serves. Other firms are considering similar applications.

EDIT

The ban comes despite the latest figures for water storage showing Thames Water reservoirs to be 96% full - the second fullest in the country. "Our reservoirs are okay," a spokesman told the BBC News website. "Where we've got the problem is with the low water levels in the aquifers." Aquifers - also known as ground reservoirs - are underground layers of rock that collect water.

EDIT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/4799446.stm

[tanyev]

1. Dry in England?

:wtf:

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Recent rainfall figures for SE England

Winter Dec 2005 - Feb 2006: 148.8mm - 71% of 1961-1990 average
2005: 604.9 mm - 79% of 1961-1990 average

That's about 24 inches a year - drier than anywhere east of the Mississippi in the USA, I think. http://www.mapsofworld.com/usa/thematic-maps/usa-precipitation.html

[Pooka Fey]

2. You mean that they're conserving before the water runs out completely????

Huge mind-boggling drought in AZ - Record breaking number of days with no rain, even the cacti are dying!!! We have had ONE day of rain this winter (thanks for all the good wishes E&E posters), which did little more than wash some of the smog out of the air; but has anyone in the AZ state government mentioned implementing water conservation measures HERE this year???

***chirp***chirp***chirp***chirp***chirp***chirp***

[phantom power]

4. Yeah. Pretty amazing, isn't it?

I guess our reservoirs will have water for ever and ever...