Water Conservation

Written By Admin
Dated: March 6, 2007

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We use it every day – most of us use far more than is necessary - and a lot of us simply take it for granted. Water is a finite and precious commodity – of all the water in the world, only an estimated 1% of it is actually safe to drink. Despite this, it’s estimated that around half the world’s population will face some kind of water shortage crisis by 2025.

Notwithstanding its reputation for rain, the UK has actually suffered from a shortage of water over the last few years. There has been a fairly well defined north/south divide - the water shortage has been worse in London and the south east during recent years, as those areas of the country have received less rainfall than usual.

Between 2004 and 2006, some areas of the UK experienced the worst drought for 30 years - and some parts of the south were the driest since the 1920s. Several areas of the country instigated a hosepipe ban and other restrictions, while water companies in London, Sussex and Kent actually appointed several people to the position of drought planner.

The south east also uses more water than other parts of the UK – each Londoner uses an average of 156 litres of water per day – slightly more than the national average of 150. And across the south east in general, each person uses 15 litres more water each day than their counterpart up north.

Apart from affecting humans, a shortage of rainfall also has an adverse effect on the countryside and wildlife. Without enough rainwater to keep rivers and reservoirs full, trees and fish can suffer. Several organisations, including the RSPB and the National Trust have been concerned, following the drought of 2006.

The number of salmon has decreased in recent years as there simply hasn’t been enough water for them to spawn in - a declining fish population can take years to get back to normal. And dry soil conditions have been blamed for a shortage of sparrows and song thrushes.

There are some basic things that everybody can do to help conserve water. Turning off the tap while brushing your teeth can save an estimated 10 litres of water per day. Always run the washing machine or dishwasher with a full load; and replace worn tap washers – you can waste 4 litres of water a day through a leaking tap.

Keeping a jug of cold water in the fridge means you don’t have to run the tap for several minutes to get cold water. Taking a short shower rather than a long bath can save around 60 litres of water. And using a sponge and bucket of water rather than a hosepipe to wash your car uses around 50 litres of water instead of 300.

You can save water in the garden as well. Installing a water butt is an easy way to catch rainwater to be used later to water plants. Longer grass in your garden not only means less watering – it will stay green longer. Lawn sprinklers are the ultimate waste of water – most lawns simply don’t need that much water.

So-called “grey water” is waste water from washing up, baths and showers, etc that can effectively be used for watering lawns and plants, although you shouldn’t use it to water anything that you intend to eat. It’s also possible to fit a rainwater butt to the pipes so that waste water from baths and sinks goes straight to the butt.

Water meters are an excellent way to monitor your water use. Currently, almost 30% of UK households have a meter and most water authorities will install the meter for free. Homes with water meters tend to use an average of 10 to 15% less water than those without.

Many water companies require you to have a water meter if you have a lawn sprinkler, swimming pool or power shower. And by 2009, millions of homes in southern England could have meters if plans announced by Environment Minister Ian Pearson take effect, following a drought in 2006. Eleven areas in the south of the country are now considered to be “water stress areas”.

So, make the effort and fix that leaking tap, stop taking those long baths and get rid of the lawn sprinkler. The problem isn’t insurmountable if we all help to do our part. And you may even save some money too - in some parts of the UK, the average water bill has increased by 40 pounds to almost 300 pounds.