High Demand and low water pressure

We need your continued support

We want to say a big thank you to everyone for helping to use water wisely over the hot weather period so far. Your continued support will really help to reduce the demand for water, so we can make sure there’s enough water stored up for the next spell of hot weather. This means we can keep a reliable water supply flowing to you and your community throughout the summer. 

Why is having high storage so important?

During spells of warm and dry weather, there’s always a huge increase in demand for water. This high usage decreases our storage, as this is what we need to use for your drinking water to meet demand. When our storage is low and demand is high, this can lead to low water pressure or supply interruptions because water can't get through the pipes quickly enough.  

If you're experiencing low water pressure at the moment, please see our alerts page to see which areas are currently affected.

See our video below to see why & how you can help:

• How we’re working to meet demand 

  We’ve invested heavily in our pumps and pipes to move water around our network more efficiently and get water to where it’s needed most during high demand periods.

  We’re reducing leaks and making sure our storage reservoirs are at capacity before any spike in temperatures and demand hits the network.

  We’re working closely with businesses and our highest water users to help them to reduce water wastage.

  And we’re giving you, and all our customers, the tools and information you need to waste less water and help protect your local streams this summer.

  Demand graph

  The graph below shows how much demand for water is going to be expected over the month of July:

  

  Storage levels

  The graph below shows how our storage levels fluctuate during hot weather periods:

  

• Is your water cloudy?

  Due to the hot weather, the water is warmer than usual and there is an increased heat on internal pipework.

  All of the air, which is normally invisible, bubbles out and can make your water appear cloudy. This air does not affect the quality of your water, and this isn't harmful to you.

  During the periods of hot weather we advise that you store water in the fridge and the water will return to normal as the weather cools.

How you can help

To make sure everyone has enough water for essential use, we’re asking you for help.

There are a few small things you can do that would have a massive impact, not only on your own water supply, but for your local environment too.

• Cease or reduce non-essential usage during this extremely hot period, particularly at peak times during these hot spells (7am – 11am and 4pm – 11pm).
• We are asking for all customers with irrigation systems, sports pitches, golf greens or similar surfaces to set timers to water these outside the current peak demand times e.g., 1am - 4am, or preferably avoid using these during these whilst we get through this extremely warm weather. This would greatly reduce the demand on our network.
• Check for leaks on your network.
• Stop urinals and automated systems running overnight when not required.

Stay hydrated in the heat

We all enjoy the sunshine, and it's important that we save water while also staying cool and keeping hydrated.

Here are our top tips for staying cool in the sunshine:

• Drink plenty of water – fill up a jug and keep it in the fridge so it's nice and cold
• Need to cool off? Shorten down your shower time, or fill up a spray bottle and spray yourself when needed.
• Taking a dip? Cover your paddling pool with an old fitted sheet when not in use to keep the water clean.

Stay in the know

We want to make sure we can keep you updated before any potential issues arise.

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