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.
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:
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'.
METRIC | OUTTURN | |
Previous month rainfall (August) |
Essex: 35% of (LTA) Long-Term Average Suffolk: 32% of LTA |
Below average
Below average |
Previous 3 months rainfall |
Essex: 72% of LTA Suffolk: 76% of LTA |
Below average Below average |
Previous 6 months rainfall |
Essex: 102% of LTA Suffolk: 101% of LTA |
Average Average |
Previous 12 months rainfall |
Essex: 125% of LTA Suffolk: 131% of LTA |
Above average Above average |
Combined Essex Reservoir storage (Hanningfield and Abberton Reservoirs) |
Average at 80% | Above average |
Regional Hydrological outlook |
For current river levels please refer to the EA website (opens new window).
DROUGHT RISK |
DROUGHT PLAN ACTIVATED |
DROUGHT PLAN RESPONSE LEVEL |
Low | No | Business as usual |
CURRENT TUBS | CONSIDERING TUBS | DROUGHT PERMITS |
No | No | No |