News  »  Affinity Water Save Water Update

 

Dear Councillor

We have now entered our critical recharge period (October to March) when we expect rainfall to reach the aquifers (porous rock where groundwater is stored) that we use to supply your water.

Unfortunately, the amount of rain we received in October fell considerably short of what is usually expected and our water resources remain below average.

Looking ahead, we will need an above average amount of rainfall during this recharge period before we start to see groundwater return to average levels.

Here is a graph showing the average v long term average rainfall for the past year.

Aquifers only usually fill up from rainfall during autumn and winter when there is less plant growth and evaporation.

We welcomed the rainfall between May and September, this benefited the environment and helped reduce the demand for water. However, this was limited in comparison to the low rainfall over the last year, particularly during the autumn and winter recharge season, which typically runs from October to March.

Groundwater levels

Here is a diagram showing our current groundwater levels

 

To keep up to date with our latest water resource position, please visit www.affinitywater.co.uk/resources

 

What we can all do to save water

We are continuing with our campaigns to raise awareness of the situation and help people save water. Our Keep Track of the Tap campaign reached millions of customers through direct mail and various advertising channels which led to an increase in awareness of our water resources position, water saving activity by customers and orders of our FREE water saving devices.

We are also working in collaboration with national environmental charity Hubbub to help people save water through an innovative behaviour change campaign - #TapChat.

Collaboration is key – we would love for you to join #TapChat and encourage others to do the same to help people reduce the amount of water they use.

We would be grateful if you can arrange a link from your web and social media pages to www.hubbub.org.uk/event/join-the-tapchat

Doing a little saves a lot – these water saving tips really make a difference!

In the bathroom

• Shorten your shower – take a 4-minute shower instead of a bath – you will save around 50 litres
• Don’t overfill the bath – if you do fancy a bath try and use less water in it – it is easy to save over 30 litres each time
• Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth, and save over 6,500 litres of water a year and encourage others in your household to do the same
• Whenever you can, use the half flush button if you have a dual flush toilet
• A cistern displacement device can save one litre per flush, saving up to 5,000 litres a year.

In the kitchen

• Save water and electricity by only boiling enough water for your immediate use
• Use a bowl to wash dishes or vegetables
• Fix dripping taps and you could save over 5,500 litres of water a year. If you need to find an approved plumber visit www.watersafe.org.uk
• If you are buying a new appliance look at the Eco-label for water and energy consumption
• Only run your washing machine and dishwasher with a full load – this uses less water than two half loads.

We also offer FREE water saving devices on request through our website. To help us work with our customers to save water during this time, we would be grateful if you could arrange a link from your web and social media pages to www.affinitywater.co.uk/savewater

We will keep you updated on the situation with regular communications. In the meantime, if you would like any further information please contact us at news@affinitywater.co.uk

 

Yours faithfully

Mike Pocock

Director of Asset Strategy

Affinity Water