2012 UK Drought

[AderynCoch]

It also shows just how varied the British Isles climate is - nowhere in the world sees such differences in such short distances.

The rainfall differences on Hawaii's big island put us to shame. Hilo on the east coast averages about 3200mm annually, whereas less than 100 miles away on the west coast Kailua-Kona averages about 280mm.

I'm pretty sure Vancouver Island has huge contrasts too.

[Coast]

Hosepipe ban: Drought restrictions set to spread across country

The water restrictions will spread to more areas if the dry weather continues, the Environment Agency warned yesterday

Hosepipe bans are to be brought in across Southern and Eastern England as the drought crisis grows. And the water restrictions will spread to more areas if dry weather continues, the Environment Agency warned yesterday. Rainfall in March and April needs to be well above average to ensure water levels recover. But latest forecasts suggest dry weather will continue for the next few days and could persist into April in southern parts.

Seven water firms will impose bans from April 5 in London and the South East, plus East Anglia. Bosses vowed they would ­prosecute anyone caught using hoses to water gardens or wash cars, paths and windows. The bans follow successive dry winters – and last month East Anglia had only 12.2mm of rainfall, just 33% of the average. The South East and Central areas were down to 36% of normal levels and an Environment Agency report said the drought could spread as far north as East Yorkshire and west to the Hants-Wilts border. Agency chairman Lord Smith said: “We are working with businesses, farmers and water companies to meet the challenges of a continued drought.â€

With dry conditions predicted for the next few months, the worst case scenario could see supplies standpipes in the street as they were during the drought of 1976. Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman yesterday said: “We can all help reduce the effects of drought by respecting the restrictions and being smarter about how we use water.†The bans, affecting 20 million people, include Greater London, Essex, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk, although areas may be hit differently within counties.

The Met Office’s Rob Varley said: “Even sustained rainfall over the next few months would have a limited impact.â€

http://www.mirror.co...ions-set-759484

[danm]

Graphic from The Telegraph showing rainfall amounts in the SE in February 2012, the last 5 months, the last 17 months and also current groundwater levels. Very interesting:

Click the tabs at the top of the graphic to skip through each of the time periods: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/9140456/Graphic-South-East-England-water-levels-and-drought-mapped.html

[HighPressure]

For anyone wanting to keep an in depth eye on things I suggest the EA water situation reports updated weekly:

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/research/library/publications/33995.aspx

Having looked at the overall situation, groundwater levels are very low in the SE, but London area surface reservoirs are well on course to be 100% full ahead of last year. Although River flows are down surface reservoir refill rates suggest that the river flow has not exactly been on its knees over the winter? I am not all convinced the bulk of London needs water restrictions at this stage? The surface reservoirs and river Thames flows have been worse on many occasions since 1976.

I think Thames are just covering up the inadequacies of their network by jumping on the bandwagon.

[knocker]

What part does this play in this?

http://www.water-technology.net/projects/water-desalination/

[Paul]

We've had a look at the drought situation in an article this morning:

http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=news;storyid=1031;sess=

[Coast]

Here we go, first warning that it's going to cost us all more (what a surprise!!)

Drought: first desalination opens in mainland Britain as water bosses warn of price rises

More than one million people will be supplied with water from Britain’s first large-scale desalination plant this summer to help cope with what is expected to be a widespread drought.

Within weeks, the new £270million plant in east London will begin supplying homes with seawater that has been turned into drinking water. More than 20million people are facing hosepipe bans after seven water companies announced restrictions earlier this week. Householders could be fined up to £1,000 for filling a paddling pool or washing their car.

Water companies yesterday faced calls to invest in reducing leaks instead of imposing water restrictions on home owners. According to official figures, the companies are losing 3.4billion litres of water a year to leaks, equivalent to 25 per cent of all water used. Thames Water admitted that its last hosepipe ban, imposed in 2006, resulted in just a 5 per cent drop in water use.

Ann Robinson, the director of consumer policy at USwitch, said: “I accept we have to try and save water but what is not acceptable is the incredible amount of leakage.†Families face an average price rise for water of 6 per cent to £376 per year from April, just before the hosepipe ban comes in. Southern Water, which missed its leak targets last year, is raising prices by more than 8 per cent. Martin Baggs, the chief executive of Thames Water, warned that prices would have to rise even further to build reservoirs and new technology

http://www.telegraph...rice-rises.html

[PersianPaladin]

Environment Agency report:-

http://publications.environment-agency.gov.uk/PDF/GEHO0312BWDT-E-E.pdf

[HighPressure]

What part does this play in this?

http://www.water-technology.net/projects/water-desalination/

These were just plans when I left TW but if memory serves me right, its purpose is to supply the Woodford service reservoir which normally gets it's water from the Lee valley. We always had a problem supporting that area from the Thames Valley due to network and hydraulic restrictions rather then overal supply issues. Initially it was turned down by Ken and probably only got the green light due to the Olympics more then any other reason.

It's interesting that the water wasn't sent south to support the Kent Wells which is the main area of concern during drought. The other thing people may not know is that TW had a works capable of 120mld which was shut down and sold for develpment @1995 which they stated was no longer required. The works was at Surbiton now a supermarket?

The question I ask is why allow a Company who cannot guarentee supplies to take @£6 billion in profits over the past 10 years when securing supplies would cost no more then @2 billion if that?

Another thing about the DeSal plant why hasn't it been running over the winter, that's 150mld of water that could have been produced for the last 6 months? Reason is it's too expensive to run, they have the capacity to artificially recharge aquifers and maybe they should be asked what they have been doing in this direction over winter?

Edited March 15, 2012 by HighPressure

[danm]

http://blogs.telegra...-case-scenario/

Drought in Britain: what's the worst-case scenario?

What if the drought continues? If there is yet another dry winter ahead? Of if the hosepipe bans and other conservation measures being brought in fail to quench consumption?

Last time we had a drought this bad, standpipes appeared in the streets in Plymouth and parts of Yorkshire and East Anglia. Hosepipe spotter vans cruised the suburbs to sniff out guerrilla gardeners while a vigilante group of Surrey housewives (the mind boggles!) forced a local golf course to turn off its sprinklers. And the, substantial, specially-appointed drought minister (more boggling) proudly disclosed that he was taking baths with his wife.

Thirty-six years on, Britain has got much better at managing water, so such severe measures are not expected to be implemented soon,. But they could, conceivably, still be on the way.

The water companies observe a four-stage drought plan. In the first – which started two years ago in some parts of England, and is expected to be necessary about every five years – they start warning the country that supplies are getting low and urge people to use them sparingly. In the second – beginning six months ago and expected once a decade – the publicity is ramped up with advertising campaigns. At this stage, too, as things get worse, temporary hose pipe bans can be introduced. That is where much of the country stands now, but – unless there is an enormous amount of rain over the coming weeks – the drought is bound to intensify.

So what happens next? The third stage of the plan is supposed to be implemented only once every 20 years. Hosepipe bans are likely to be extended, and new restrictions brought in. Public, or commercial swimming pools would have to be closed. Mechanical car washes would be shut down, and indeed all cleaning of vehicles, boats, railway engines and carriages and aircraft would be banned. And so would spraying water to keep down dust.

The final stage, the water industry insists, would only be triggered by a more severe drought than has yet been recorded in Britain, but it is when things could start getting really nasty. Water might well have to be rationed, either by setting up standpipes, or by turning it off altogether by rota.

In fact since water companies are supposed to prioritise health – and because rationing is politically explosive – they are likely to do whatever they can to try to avoid it. Reducing water pressure in their pipes is one obvious measure, as is greatly stepping up work to plug leaks. And, in practice, they are likely first to start rationing businesses, especially water-intensive ones: an example is a food processing plant in London which, says Thames Water, uses as much of the stuff as nearly 9,000 homes. The industry accepts that some factories might have to close as a result.

Such extreme measures are a long way off, and may never been needed, but they remain a possibility if the drought continues to intensify. And, even if we escape this time, severe droughts are likely to reoccur. Already, south-east England gets less water per capita than Syria or the Sudan. Climate change is expected to make the area drier, yet the population is expected increasingly to concentrate there. We may have to be on standpipe standby yet.

Edited March 16, 2012 by danm

[damianslaw]

Looking back at the annals, its interesting to note how lengthy very dry periods in this country have on quite a few occasions come to a spectacular crash with very rainy periods following suit.

1959 and 1960 being a case in point, 1959 was one of the driest years in record, the following summer- autumn period was notably very wet indeed.

After the hot dry summer of 1976 we saw one of the wettest septembers on record, mind it didn't herald a lengthy wet period, it is interesting to note all the same ( a similiar change occured in sept 1995 a very wet month but not to the same degree and this also didn't herald a lengthy wet period - it was a minor blip).

More recently I commented before on how lengthy dry periods have been followed by lengthy wet periods.

Spring 88 - winter 91/92 very dry followed by a consistently wet period from spring 92 culminating in the very wet winter of 94/95

followed by a very dry period spring 95 to spring 97, followed by a consistently wet period culminating in the very winter autumn/early winter 2000.

Spring 05 through to spring 07 very dry followed by the very wet summer and a generally wet period though not without dry periods i.e. winter 08/09 lasting through to late autumn 09 culminating in the very wet Nov... mmm a theme is developing here

then a switch to very dry weather in the main ever since punctuated by wet summers only, could we be at the end point ? and a sudden switch in April to very wet weather - I think the chances of a return to wetter than normal conditions at some stage this year are quite high given we've had well over 2 years of relatively drier than normal conditions.

[Coast]

Looks like it's not just us humans who are going to suffer this Summer:

Drought risks killing off British wildlife

The drought gripping parts of England risks killing off numerous species of wildlife from dragonflies to water voles, the Environment Agency has warned.

Following the driest 18 months on record for some parts of the country, streams and rivers are drying up leaving insects, fish, mammals and amphibians fighting for survival. Newly hatched tadpoles of frogs, toads and newts are under threat while wading birds such as snipe, curlew and lapwings will suffer from a lack of moist soils in which to find food such as worms for themselves and their young.

In drought-affected areas, some streams, ponds and shallow lakes are likely to dry up before aquatic insects such as dragonflies have taken wing, which will cause them to perish, experts claim. Water voles will be at greater risk from predators such as stoats and weasels as falling water levels in ditches and streams leave their waterline burrows exposed. Rivers such as the Pang, home to Wind In The Willows' water vole Ratty, have already dried up in places.

The Environment Agency warned that many species have declined in much of England in recent years and the drought could sound the death knell in some smaller breeding sites. Forest fires will be of increasing concern in the English countryside, the agency said, while some trees including beech and birch could die off in the face of the drought. In its latest briefing on the drought situation last week, the Environment Agency said that after the previous week's "welcome" rain, the past week had been the driest for England and Wales for around six months.

No more than a few millimetres of rain fell across the country, with the South East region receiving the most rain in the week – less than 0.2 inches (4mm). The agency is monitoring rivers more closely and increasing supplies of water aeration and fish rescue equipment to try and prevent fish deaths in shrinking rivers. It is also bringing in measures to help managers of important wildlife sites such as wetland reserves to maintain water levels on-site by abstracting more water from nearby rivers, and waiving the higher summer charges for doing so.

Water companies across southern and eastern England have announced hosepipe bans in a bid to conserve water supplies in the face of two very dry winters which have left aquifers, rivers and reservoirs well below normal levels. Alistair Driver, Environment Agency national conservation manager, said: "The amount of water that we use at home and in our businesses has a direct effect on the amount of water available in our rivers and for wildlife.

"We would urge all water users – including consumers, businesses and farmers – to use water wisely to help protect our valuable natural environment. “Nature is very resilient, but given that we are seeing early summer droughts like this happening more frequently, then we can expect to see the real impacts of climate change on the numbers and distribution of some of our more susceptible wildlife."

Phil Burston, RSPB water policy officer, said: "Our reserves are designed to help wetlands and their wildlife cope with drought but we still need to do more to adapt to an increasingly unpredictable climate."The problem in the wider countryside outside managed nature reserves is likely to be even more desperate with wildlife that relies on healthy rivers, ponds and lakes left struggling this summer."

Helen Perkins, of the Wildlife Trusts, said: "After such a long period of low rainfall, some species may not recover and could be lost from some rivers and wetlands if we don't act now. "We urgently need to change the way we use water at home and across businesses. Saving water now could save wildlife from an absolute disaster."

http://www.telegraph...h-wildlife.html

[richie3846]

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/riverlevels/default.aspx provides the latest river levels at many monitoring stations around the country. I live in Swindon, and it was interesting to compare river levels before and after the 10mm of rain we had on the weekend. As it had not rained for two weeks prior, the moisture merely soaked into the ground. The local rivers, even the smaller streams failed to have increased flows after the rain. I presume this also means that the groundwater had no recharge too. I'm sure this was repeated in many areas in the south and east.

With the Met forecasting almost zero rain for the rest of March the situation seems unlikely to improve.

[recklessabandon]

http://www.environme...ls/default.aspx provides the latest river levels at many monitoring stations around the country. I live in Swindon, and it was interesting to compare river levels before and after the 10mm of rain we had on the weekend. As it had not rained for two weeks prior, the moisture merely soaked into the ground. The local rivers, even the smaller streams failed to have increased flows after the rain. I presume this also means that the groundwater had no recharge too. I'm sure this was repeated in many areas in the south and east.

With the Met forecasting almost zero rain for the rest of March the situation seems unlikely to improve.

Also we are rapidly reaching the point where under 'typical' conditions PET (Potential Evapo-transpiration) quickly starts to outstrip precipitation in the southern half of the UK. Once April is upon us the south will need serious persistent rainfall to even stabilise the groundwater levels, let alone reverse them.

[HighPressure]

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/riverlevels/default.aspx provides the latest river levels at many monitoring stations around the country. I live in Swindon, and it was interesting to compare river levels before and after the 10mm of rain we had on the weekend. As it had not rained for two weeks prior, the moisture merely soaked into the ground. The local rivers, even the smaller streams failed to have increased flows after the rain. I presume this also means that the groundwater had no recharge too. I'm sure this was repeated in many areas in the south and east.

With the Met forecasting almost zero rain for the rest of March the situation seems unlikely to improve.

The ground acts like a sponge and like a sponge it needs to have a certain moisture level before water will flow, this is measured by what is known as soil moisture deficit. I believe I am right in saying that until there is no deficit there will be no flow. So the rain that fell at the weekend will just have reduced deficits, of the rest as said a lot will have evaporated and remainder will have entered watercourses via runoff. It genuinely takes a good couple of days for rivers to see peek flow following rain but it will not be very much.

I think it's now too later for any meaningful groundwater recharge, surface water levels and flows will suffer as a result unless we see regular rain through spring and summer.

Edited March 19, 2012 by HighPressure

[shedhead]

One thing we know about nature is it eventually balances itself out, what we don't know is when the balance will come, but I would not be at all surprised if late Spring/Summer 2012 see's that balancing process get well underway.

[Coast]

Local County Councils now acting to save water:

County council to stage drought summit

FOLLOWING the hosepipe ban announcement earlier this month West Sussex County Council will host a drought summit to explore what contribution it can make on Friday March 30.

It will invite representatives from Southern Water and South East Water to the meeting, both of whom announced water restrictions beginning April 5. Lionel Barnard (Con, Henfield), deputy leader of the council, said: “Obviously as a council we will be leading by example and doing all we can to reduce our own water consumption. “We already have several initiatives underway and the fact that we are reducing the number of buildings we operate from will mean using less water and reduce our carbon footprint generally. The meeting will be an opportunity to find out what we can do as a local authority to advise residents and businesses on what steps they can take to reduce water use now, and what steps can be taken if the situation does deteriorate.

“We serve a population of 800,000 people and have a business community ranging from companies on industrial estates to many farmers and growers, so there will obviously be a great deal of concern. “It will also be a chance to explore with the water companies what can be done in the long term once the current water shortage is over.†Meanwhile Pete Bradbury (Con, Cuckfield and Lucastes), cabinet member for public protection, is leading a review of the type of action the county council might take if there were any further emergency measures.

He said: “A severe drought event could impact on West Sussex in a variety of ways including the disruption of our infrastructure, health and social care systems, and by putting the vulnerable at greater risk. “We all hope the situation will not get worse, but as a responsible local authority we have to make sure we have plans in place to assist our most vulnerable communities.†The county council has updated its website to include the latest information about the drought with advice on how to save water. Mr Barnard explained: “This may all seem like commonsense, but these small measures can really add up and make a difference.â€

http://www.wscountytimes.co.uk/news/local/county-council-to-stage-drought-summit-1-3643186#

[Moomin]

The ground acts like a sponge and like a sponge it needs to have a certain moisture level before water will flow, this is measured by what is known as soil moisture deficit. I believe I am right in saying that until there is no deficit there will be no flow. So the rain that fell at the weekend will just have reduced deficits, of the rest as said a lot will have evaporated and remainder will have entered watercourses via runoff. It genuinely takes a good couple of days for rivers to see peek flow following rain but it will not be very much.

I think it's now too later for any meaningful groundwater recharge, surface water levels and flows will suffer as a result unless we see regular rain through spring and summer.

Almost right, the soil moisture defecit has to be overcome before groundwater is recharged i.e. the rainfall that has beaten evaopration and transpiration and has entered the ground and made its way to the ground water surface. The 'sponge' has to be completely saturated before groundwater will flow laterally, groundwater will always flow if it the aquifer is saturated and there is a gradient, the amount of recharge affects the levels and therefore the amount of water flowing and to a certain extent the speed at which it moves . It isn't too late for any meaningful recharge but it will take a lot of continual rainfall to replenish the aquifers to normal levels it also depends upon how much groundwater is taken out by abstraction, this is key in the south east where most of the public water comes from borehole supplies. One element that doens't get picked up on which also has a big effect is the incresing urbanisation, this can have a dramtic effect in reducing recharge to groundwater as our effcient drainage systems divert rainfall into surface water preventing it getting into the ground.

I think a point that was made a few days ago is a very important one for the water companies down south, why have they not done more in the way of artificially augmenting the aquifer reserves? This process has been around for nearly 20 years, from university days I seem to remember Thames water made use of the Greensand quite effectively, using it as an underground reservoir in effect, they have had the opportunity with the desalination plant to do this over the last few months.

I do believe this is going to be a big problem this year though and not just for the south east. Here in Shropshire it has been very dry, some of the rivers that dried out last summer have yet to start flowing again, the spring fed streams from the limestone hills behind our house have run dry in the last few weeks, they normally persist until july August time.

Interesting year ahead!

M

[Coast]

Hose Ban Can & Can'ts

But what does a hosepipe ban really mean?

Thanks to the drought laws, the answer is no. Even under a hosepipe ban there are still lots of permitted hosepipe uses. Of course, you aren’t allowed to water the garden with one, or to wash the car but here are just a few of the things you can do:

Use a hose or pressure washer to clean paths, patios, boats, windows, garden furniture, barbecues and much else which is neither garden nor car

Use a hose to fill ponds, paddling pools, swimming pools and other containers

Use a hose to wash down pets, horses – or with a spray head to take showers outdoors

Use a hose with a backflow prevention valve to fill livestock drinking troughs

Use a hose to put out a fire

Use a hose to mix cement or for any other DIY job

Use a hose for childrens’ play

So why is it possible to fill a swimming pool but not to water the vegetables that put food on the dinner table?

Well, don’t blame it on the water companies. They can only enforce the law – which dates back almost half a century to a time when pressure washers and much else hadn’t been invented. However, no water supplier should be giving the false impression that all hosepipe uses are prohibited.

The good news is that new legislation was passed in April this year to bring hosepipe bans up to date. It’s the Flood & Water Management Act 2010 and instead of offering just two prohibition options, it lists a number of sensible restrictions that a water company can impose – although it is not obliged to impose any of them.

And in what should be better news for gardeners, it gives water companies new discretionary powers to grant exemptions from hosepipe bans, for example to the elderly or infirm, to certain types of water-saving irrigation equipment such as drip irrigation systems and even to allow night-time watering during a hosepipe restriction.

The new Act includes the following precise wording:

“A water undertaker need not ban a specified use of water entirely. It may limit the scope of a ban by, for example, excluding specified groups of customers and apparatus and restricting the use of water at specified times only.â€

If that sounds more like the civilised society that you thought we lived in, don’t get too excited. The new law, which the policy makers and regulators have been working on since the 2006 drought in the south of England, has still not yet been enshrined in industry regulations so United Utilities can’t use it. Instead, they have to fall back on the old legislation.

But for the record, here is the full list of possible prohibitions from the new Act:

Watering a garden using a hosepipe;

Cleaning a private motor-vehicle using a hosepipe;

Watering plants on domestic or other non-commercial premises using a hosepipe;

Cleaning a private leisure boat using a hosepipe;

Filling or maintaining a domestic swimming or paddling pool;

Drawing water, using a hosepipe, for domestic recreational use;

Filling or maintaining a domestic pond using a hosepipe;

Filling or maintaining an ornamental fountain;

Cleaning walls, or windows, of domestic premises using a hosepipe;

Cleaning paths or patios using a hosepipe;

Cleaning other artificial outdoor surfaces using a hosepipe.

A water company seeking to impose a hosepipe ban can elect to prohibit one or more of these specific uses but cannot prohibit any use not on this list. So even if all the options are enforced, there will still be a number of hosepipe uses which cannot be banned.

Britain’s leading supplier of garden watering equipment, Hozelock, says there should never be any need for a complete hosepipe ban. “Modern drip watering systems like the Waterwise-approved Aquapod use 90% less water than a watering can so there can be no rational argument for banning their use,†says Marketing Director Simon McArdle. He went on: “The trouble with such a blunt instrument as the traditional hosepipe ban is that it punishes gardeners who have done the responsible thing by converting to water-saving irrigation equipment.

Over 80% of all the water wasted in the garden comes from uncontrolled sprinklers, according to Hozelock.

“When water is scarce, a sprinkler ban makes sense,†says McArdle, “but other hosepipe restrictions are of questionable environmental value.â€

http://www.hozelock....can-can-ts.html

I also understand that if you're over 65 or registered disabled, then ban does not apply to you.

[cyclonic happiness]

Well, we're still suffering up here in Wawriwckshire, we've a little rain over the past week, but it's done littel more than wet the ground, next week doesn't look too good either.

How is everyone else fairing?

[Costa Del Fal]

Thanks for resurrecting this thread ch! If anything the Midlands has probably been a bit drier than the SE lately! Ive just looked at the CFS on Meteociel and this just for the fun of it but it doesnt show any proper rain until about the 17th April. :lol:

In all seriousness though, very very dry here and no real sign of this ending away from FI which already looks like staying in High pressure mode for now at least.

[HighPressure]

I think a point that was made a few days ago is a very important one for the water companies down south, why have they not done more in the way of artificially augmenting the aquifer reserves? This process has been around for nearly 20 years, from university days I seem to remember Thames water made use of the Greensand quite effectively, using it as an underground reservoir in effect, they have had the opportunity with the desalination plant to do this over the last few months.

Thanks for your post, the TW artificial recharge system was setup sometime in the mid nineties, they are a series of boreholes next to the river Lee, I have actually run them. They never worked properly, were hydraulically and system flawed, the most we ever put down them was 0.5 -1.0 mld. If memory serves me right we had about 10 of these useless recharge boreholes. The DeSal plant supplies water to that area. I see Kent and areas around the River Dareth as being a major problem area.

Edited March 20, 2012 by HighPressure

[PersianPaladin]

How long is this dry period in the historical context for England?

[summer blizzard]

Nov 04 to Aug 06 was just as long.

[TonyH]

Nov 04 to Aug 06 was just as long.

In the MIdlands this past 18 months or so has been far, far drier than the spell you refer to.

I would guess this is as prolonged and dry as 1975-1976, possibly drier.