Welsh Water warns ‘use water wisely in the heat’
JUST how much water levels are suffering in the current dry spell are apparent in new pictures issued by Welsh Water.
They show that the levels are well below average for the time of year, after months of minimal rainfall.
Now, while there is no mention of a hosepipe ban, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water is warning customers they need to use all water “wisely”.
Especially as there is little rain forecast for the foreseeable future.
Welsh Water also released pictures of Beacons Reservoir in the Taff Fawr valley, Craig-y-Pistyll in Ceredigion, and Ffynnon Llugwy in Snowdonia, to show that levels remain low in some areas. The not-for-profit company said that, despite some rain across its operating area last weekend, some reservoirs remained lower than usual for the time of year and would be under greater pressure if the dry spell persisted.
Welsh Water is responsible for 91 reservoirs across the areas it serves, holding around as much water as 125,000 Olympic swimming pools.
Reservoirs hold most of the water that Welsh Water draws upon to supply drinking water to its customers – it has drawn on them more to meet increased demand during the heat.
It confirmed that reservoirs were still below what it would expect for this time of year, with June already confirmed as the hottest on record in Wales, with temperatures reaching around 31°C in some parts, with just 24% of the average rainfall expected at this time of year.
The company – which provides drinking water to three million customers across most of Wales, Herefordshire and parts of Deeside – has been proactively taking measures for the last two months to safeguard customer supplies and prepare for the hot weather, with 450 colleagues finding and repairing leaks and its 62 water treatment works being manned 24/7 to help supply a record 1 billion litres a day.
It has been using 40 tankers to pump extra water into the system to meet demand, while it has moved more than 1,000 million litres of water to ensure customer supply is preserved, since the dry spell began.
Managing Director of Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water Peter Perry said: “While we have seen some welcome rain in some areas in the last week, this has only had a limited effect.
“We need some sustained rainfall for all of our reservoirs to return to their normal levels.
“We have been working continuously to find and repair leaks across our network, as well as pumping more than 200 million more litres of water into the network every day to ensure customers’ supplies.
“But we need customers to help us while the weather remains dry – not only by letting us know if they spot a leak themselves, but by only using water they need while it’s hot, not wasting it.
“Customers can get advice on how to use water efficiently around the home and garden from our website.”
The outlook for the week for Wales shows a few showers tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday, but no significant rainfall.