Without reservoirs to supply them, many new houses could run dry
SIR – The Environment Agency has warned that we may face water supply shortages and urged the population to think seriously about our water usage in the home (report, May 23).
As the majority of new houses being built these days have two bathrooms, and in some cases a cloakroom too, are builders fitting water meters and low-flush lavatories as standard?
I also wonder how many new reservoirs have been built across the land to supply all these new houses, as well as older properties that are being extended.
Jan Chapman
Fulwood, Lancashire
SIR – Any water shortages will be further aggravated by the demand for new housing, especially in the South.
The situation would be mitigated if all new-build houses were required by law to have a secondary system with storage tanks for rain and grey water.
This additional supply could then be used for garden maintenance, car washing and other non-essential tasks without putting further pressure on the primary supplies.
Edward Studd
Sherborne, Dorset
SIR – We are told that domestic water consumption may be controlled in an effort to prevent water shortages.
Perhaps attention should be focused on combi boilers, which have become popular as an energy-saving measure. These provide hot water on demand but, in doing so, waste an enormous quantity of water.
When the hot tap is turned on, there is a delay before the boiler fires up and then a further delay while the water achieves the required temperature. This is repeated every time hot water is needed, and water keeps flowing into the drain throughout the delay.
This would not be the first time that technology perceived to address one environmental problem actually creates another. Diesel cars and wood-burning stoves spring to mind. Terry Lloyd
Derby SIR – On learning that the Environment Agency has calculated that the average person uses 140 litres of water per day, my first thought was to check our last water bill, only to find no mention of the word “litre”.
I then had to go online to do the necessary calculation from cubic metres, eventually working out that my wife and I are consuming 139.4 litres daily. All this leads me to think of three targets for water companies (and the Government). First, work to conserve some of the water that has caused such devastating flooding; secondly, stop water being lost through leaks; and thirdly, speak in terms we understand if you want us to behave responsibly. David Cowgill
Knutsford, Cheshire
SIR – How will the Government persuade my wife not to leave the cold tap running while she cleans her teeth, when I have so singularly failed? Philip Nierop
Whitestone, Devon