Drought Watch

[al78]

20 minutes ago, hillbilly said:

Without getting into politics i would largely agree.The difference is private companies have to make money to provide funds for those that invest in the company and on the whole that is more cost effective as the alternative is Public owned where politicians decide how to spend it and just end up squandering money on a biblical scale.Such a shame we cannot have a system which is public owned but the government set on some savvy businessmen.

This private vs public debate comes up occasionally, the rail network is one example, but we shouldn't kid ourselves that having public services in the government's hands will solve our problems. It depends on who is running the country and what their priorities are, which will be what the priorities of the key voting blocks are. In the case of the rail network, the government is doing what it can to reducing subsidies in an attempt to make the railway more self-funding, so renationalising the rail network may well make things worse with a government with that attitude. We would need a government that values public services and utilities, but few people will vote for such a government because they would have to whack up taxes to pay for it.

[HighPressure]

7 hours ago, SnowBear said:

To be fair many water main burst during hot weather are caused by ground heave, especially in clay areas. You can try and prevent, but you won't prevent all of them. 

This one in London may be the result of a number of reasons, perhaps older pipes, drying clay under London itself, plus working and reworking of roads and paths by cable companies, gas, electric and so on. 

The main that burst was probably the one we knew as the East London 36inch, it is a very old main and has burst many times.

The biggest clue is the time it went @7am just before demand really gets going the time of day when pressures in the network are around their highest. Due to what I suspect is and has been high demand the overnight window for refilling reservoirs is just a few hours, which means you have to take the pressures to their limits, and accept the associated risks.

[danm]

Driest year since 1976 for millions with hosepipe bans expected until October

WWW.TELEGRAPH.CO.UK

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Second heat health alert of the year as south-east England endures 144 days with little or no rain

 

[HighPressure]

7 hours ago, Nick L said:

A resource as precious as drinking water should never have been left in the hands of the private sector.

Hi Nick, here is an exert from the email I sent my MP yesterday, I worked for 20yrs in the water industry (5yrs for SES and 15yrs for Thames) from the late 80s to the late noughties. I worked throughout the privatisation period, and was part of many changes and improvements made 

"My experience is that the industry has been wholly dishonest since @1995 when all obvious savings were exhausted. The industry plays cat and mouse with the regulator, choosing to pay fines because it is cheaper than providing long term solutions. Risk assessments are carried out on 1 in 5 or 1 in 10yr drought events, so the companies know that they need to plan for these, but they don't. Maintenance procedures and standby capacity has been consistently reduced for cost saving purposes. Companies such as Thames Water report their own figures such as leakage to OFWAT and they are routinely misrepresented. This manipulation was so bad at Thames that we needed to create an entirely different system for calculating London's demand as the official system was rigged to the extent it did not represent the true numbers.

In truth some of the smaller companies such as SES Water are a lot more honest as these were never part of the privatization process as they have always been private companies."

You may also be interested to know that there has always been private water companies in the UK, here is a list of them: 

Affinity Water
Bournemouth Water
Bristol Water
Cambridge Water Company
Cholderton and District Water Company
Essex and Suffolk Water
Hartlepool Water
Portsmouth Water
SES Water
South East Water
South Staffordshire Water

[Methuselah]

8 hours ago, HighPressure said:

Hi Nick, here is an exert from the email I sent my MP yesterday, I worked for 20yrs in the water industry (5yrs for SES and 15yrs for Thames) from the late 80s to the late noughties. I worked throughout the privatisation period, and was part of many changes and improvements made 

"My experience is that the industry has been wholly dishonest since @1995 when all obvious savings were exhausted. The industry plays cat and mouse with the regulator, choosing to pay fines because it is cheaper than providing long term solutions. Risk assessments are carried out on 1 in 5 or 1 in 10yr drought events, so the companies know that they need to plan for these, but they don't. Maintenance procedures and standby capacity has been consistently reduced for cost saving purposes. Companies such as Thames Water report their own figures such as leakage to OFWAT and they are routinely misrepresented. This manipulation was so bad at Thames that we needed to create an entirely different system for calculating London's demand as the official system was rigged to the extent it did not represent the true numbers.

In truth some of the smaller companies such as SES Water are a lot more honest as these were never part of the privatization process as they have always been private companies."

You may also be interested to know that there has always been private water companies in the UK, here is a list of them: 

Affinity Water
Bournemouth Water
Bristol Water
Cambridge Water Company
Cholderton and District Water Company
Essex and Suffolk Water
Hartlepool Water
Portsmouth Water
SES Water
South East Water
South Staffordshire Water

I heard on LBC, that the estimated cost of repairing all the leaks was £57billion -- the same as what the industry has squirted all over its shareholders, over the same period? Coincidence?

[Nick L]

4 minutes ago, Ed Stone said:

I heard on LBC, that the estimated cost of repairing all the leaks was £57billion -- the same as what the industry has squirted all over its shareholders, over the same period? Coincidence?

Also less than half the price of HS2...

[minus10]

Well met office has issued 4 day amber warning for south/central England...long period for a warning...feels today like the heatwave has started in ernest...

 

[seb]

I had not even looked at wind on the models and forecasts but did just now when I noticed how gusty it is. We have 20-25 mph gusts forecast all the way to Sunday evening. 
 

Not good for the wildfire risk.

[Nick L]

13 minutes ago, seb said:

I had not even looked at wind on the models and forecasts but did just now when I noticed how gusty it is. We have 20-25 mph gusts forecast all the way to Sunday evening. 
 

Not good for the wildfire risk.

Added to low dew points again too. This summer has seen really unusual heat for the UK: Dry and windy.

[seb]

12 minutes ago, Nick L said:

Added to low dew points again too. This summer has seen really unusual heat for the UK: Dry and windy.

Very unusual for sure. It isn’t like the heat in Spain or Portugal either.

The only place I’ve experienced this kind of “heat feel” is in Southern California, in a narrow strip each side of the I-15 during weak Santa Ana events when the sea breeze is trying to “win” against the winds rushing down the mountains. 

[Summer Sun]

Thames Water are going to announce a temporary hosepipe ban in the coming weeks

Edited August 9, 2022 by Summer Sun

[minus10]

The ecm latest fire risk index forecast shows many places in the south east as very high danger and in some areas extreme danger as for Friday 12th...

[Nick L]

3 minutes ago, Summer Sun said:

Thames Water are going to announce a temporary hosepipe ban in the coming weeks

With no hints of any reliable rainfall in that timeframe, they might as well just do it now.

[Summer Sun]

Just now, Nick L said:

With no hints of any reliable rainfall in that timeframe, they might as well just do it now.

Apparently it’s all the legal rigmarole that they've got to go through before they can set a date

[Nick L]

1 minute ago, Summer Sun said:

Apparently it’s all the legal rigmarole that they've got to go through before they can set a date

Ah, fair enough!

[Snowy L]

What a classic summer this is turning out to be in the Southeast, it's pretty much joined the rest of the continent in having a real summer, save for the two days craziness in July.

[TwisterGirl81]

7 minutes ago, Snowy L said:

What a classic summer this is turning out to be in the Southeast, it's pretty much joined the rest of the continent in having a real summer, save for the two days craziness in July.

The whole of the south has not just the south east

[danm]

Looks like a desert. Blackheath Common in London:

[Puddy Galore]

5 hours ago, seb said:

I had not even looked at wind on the models and forecasts but did just now when I noticed how gusty it is. We have 20-25 mph gusts forecast all the way to Sunday evening. 
 

Not good for the wildfire risk.

Well, that and stupid thick brain dead teenagers with less than 2 neurons rubbing or rattling together in their empty juvenile heads.   Late this afternoon whilst watering my neighbours pots and baskets I could smell burning and the tell tale shrieks emanating from the tinder dry woodland at the rear of my property.   Given the strong smell of burning, the close proximity to dwellings and the dryness of the trees and woodlands I went to investigate.  After a few terse words and a roasting (no pun intended)  I moved around 10 female teenagers out of the middle of the woods only to discover they had - yes, a lighted portable barbecue  They couldn’t have skedaddled any quicker to get away but I could see the contraption was not fully doused.   The fire service have been out to check it and they have dealt with it fully.  Where is the common sense?  Such selfish stupid behaviour.  

[Methuselah]

38 minutes ago, Snowycat said:

Well, that and stupid thick brain dead teenagers with less than 2 neurons rubbing or rattling together in their empty juvenile heads.   Late this afternoon whilst watering my neighbours pots and baskets I could smell burning and the tell tale shrieks emanating from the tinder dry woodland at the rear of my property.   Given the strong smell of burning, the close proximity to dwellings and the dryness of the trees and woodlands I went to investigate.  After a few terse words and a roasting (no pun intended)  I moved around 10 female teenagers out of the middle of the woods only to discover they had - yes, a lighted portable barbecue  They couldn’t have skedaddled any quicker to get away but I could see the contraption was not fully doused.   The fire service have been out to check it and they have dealt with it fully.  Where is the common sense?  Such selfish stupid behaviour.  

Rubbing two brain cells together -- the modern-day way to start fires?

[Puddy Galore]

30 minutes ago, Ed Stone said:

Rubbing two brain cells together -- the modern-day way to start fires?

If I see them anywhere near the woods again I’ll spark the fire off by banging their numbskulls together!  

[Methuselah]

49 minutes ago, Snowycat said:

If I see them anywhere near the woods again I’ll spark the fire off by banging their numbskulls together!  

The last time I ever played with fire was in June 1970, when myself and a friend decided to ignite a bush. You wouldn't believe the amount of effort it took to put the bloody thing out. So, it is possible to learn a lesson and get away with it. My late father was a retained fireman -- so perhaps a fascination with fire is hereditary. That said, I have felt like a numbskull for 52 years!

Edited August 9, 2022 by Ed Stone

[Puddy Galore]

1 hour ago, Ed Stone said:

The last time I ever played with fire was in June 1970, when myself and a friend decided to ignite a bush. You wouldn't believe the amount of effort it took to put the bloody thing out. So, it is possible to learn a lesson and get away with it. My late father was a retained fireman -- so perhaps a fascination with fire is hereditary. That said, I have felt like a numbskull for 52 years!

Aww, bless him I have every respect and more for our fire services.  A difficult and dangerous job at times. 

[Love Snow]

Sky News just said no damp weather in the Models until the End of October can anyone confirm this? 

Edited August 10, 2022 by Love Snow

[markyo]

Wildlife under stress as dry spell shrinks rivers

WWW.BBC.CO.UK

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Most of the world's chalk streams are in southern and eastern England and are under particular strain.

We are not the only ones desperate for rain now, this Summer could go down as a disaster for wildlife.