Water Resources

Water Resources situation

The water from your tap starts its journey in either in a river, lake, reservoir or aquifer (underground, water bearing rock). From there, it is transferred by pipelines to one of our water treatment works where it is treated before being distributed to your homes through our network of pipelines.

So the more water you use, the more water we have to abstract from the environment and treat at our water treatment works. Water is a finite resource and it is important we leave as much water as possible in the environment so that our amazing rivers, lakes and reservoirs, and the wildlife they support, are able to function more naturally. This is particularly important during dry weather and droughts.

Latest water resource situation

To help you make more informed decisions about your water use, we will report our latest water resources situation here.

The tables below present the following information:

• Rainfall: If rainfall totals for the month, quarter or year are above, below or at average levels for the time of year; and
• Reservoir stocks: If reservoir stocks are above, below or at average levels for the time of year.

When reservoir stocks or rainfall totals are below average and particularly when below average for longer than a month, then this is the time to start to try and reduce your water use in your home and garden. Read our tips for saving water.

In addition to rainfall and reservoir stocks, we have also included a table to confirm the likelihood of formal restrictions on water use being needed. We’ll confirm this each month as being either a low, medium or high risk. The table also confirms whether there are any formal restrictions on the use of water. For example, during a significant drought, we may need to implement a Temporary Use Ban (or TUB), more commonly known as a 'Hosepipe Ban'.

For current river levels please refer to the EA website (opens new window).

Likelihood of restrictions of water use