Still no NEUBs as six areas enter severe drought

(by Karma Loveday)

Water minister Emma Hardy instructed the Environment Agency to prioritise protecting public water supplies where there is an unavoidable trade-off between environmental rules and water supplies, as the Government announced six areas of England had tipped into ‘severe drought’.

Water companies in these areas will be allowed to keep more water in depleted reservoirs, contrary to normal permits.

Severe drought is now evident in parts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex. The South East and South West have experienced the driest April to September in over a century. The Government said it had also taken the following actions:

• Instructing water companies to conduct daily monitoring of reservoir and river levels and tougher water quality monitoring. 

• Instructing the Environment Agency to increase compliance checks on abstractors to ensure they are only taking permitted quantities of water.

• Mobilising Local Resilience Forums to support drought response on the ground if required.

However, as yet, the Government has not granted any Non Essential Use Bans (NEUBs), despite at least three companies making applications. Meanwhile, uncertainty and continued delay surround the introduction of mandatory water efficiency labelling for appliances and water efficiency standards for fittings. Aiken Besley, senior advisor for water resources at the Environment Agency, indicated his frustration on Linked In last week in a post that looked with “envy” at Victoria state in Australia’s confirmation that it will update its fittings standards next March after consulting earlier this year. Besley said: “This is the kind of clear and decisive action needed in England to manage the immediate risks from water scarcity that we are facing. This is about empowering the nation to be water efficient and making it the default!”

As of 15 October, national reservoir storage was at 54% of capacity, around 21% below the long-term average for this time of year. Eighteen reservoir groups were less than 50% full, with 11 classed as exceptionally low.

Most river flows remained below normal or lower for the time of year. Groundwater levels continued their expected seasonal decline at most sites.

Water demand is relatively stable as a result of cooler temperatures and the implementation of temporary use bans, although it remains above expected levels in some areas. Further significant rainfall is needed to return to normal water resource conditions.