Reservoir capacity at 94% as two regions remain in drought

Reservoir capacity across the country at the beginning of April was 94%, the multi-stakeholder National Drought Group heard at its latest meeting. This compares to 49% at the end of September 2022, when reservoirs were at the lowest following the summer drought.

However two areas – East Anglia and Devon and Cornwall – remain in drought. And the group noted that the natural environment continues to take time to recuperate from the impacts of last summer. The Environment Agency is focusing ongoing efforts on monitoring how well fish and invertebrates are recovering.

Extreme fluctuations in weather – February was the driest in 30 years, followed by the wettest March in 40 years – steered the conversation to not relying on the weather alone to keep drought at bay. The NDG is scoping out the worst case scenario of another hot, dry spell this summer and discussing proactive measures linked to Defra’s new Plan for Water.