# Drought in SE England - Official



## Maggot (Feb 20, 2012)

London and the South East are officially in a drought due to low water levels. They are lower than they were during the long, hot summer of 1976.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-17102615


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## 5t3IIa (Feb 20, 2012)

It rained a bit on Saturday - that was the first time for absolutely ages


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## Maggot (Feb 20, 2012)

The last time it rained before that, was when it snowed.


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## Dan U (Feb 21, 2012)

the curse of the govt 'summit' on this didn't work this year.

iirc last year they had a big meeting in East Anglia about low water levels, ruined crops etc and it promptly tonked it down for weeks.

this isn't good though. will be taking measures at home


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## pogofish (Feb 21, 2012)

Have the Southern water companies done anything significant about water loss due to poorly maintained infrastructure yet?

Last time I looked, some were running as high as 20% and not exactly hurrying to solve the problem.


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## 5t3IIa (Feb 21, 2012)

4 minute showers? But that's my me time!


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## Dan U (Feb 21, 2012)

Well quite. Not enough investment


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## Maggot (Feb 21, 2012)

If it's yellow it's mellow
If it's brown flush it down.


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## EastEnder (Feb 21, 2012)

5t3IIa said:


> 4 minute showers? But that's my me time!


Baths are the real problem. People who have baths should be branded with the slogan: I love wasting water and wallowing in my own filth.


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## sim667 (Feb 21, 2012)

Apparently the resevoir where my boat is is down to 40% capacity (Bewl valley resevoir)


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## Dan U (Feb 21, 2012)

sim667 said:


> Apparently the resevoir where my boat is is down to 40% capacity (Bewl valley resevoir)


 
there was a pic of it in a paper i saw showing it now and 12 months ago. looks like a bit of a walk to find some water in it


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## TitanSound (Feb 21, 2012)

pogofish said:


> Have the Southern water companies done anything significant about water loss due to poorly maintained infrastructure yet?
> 
> Last time I looked, some were running as high as 20% and not exactly hurrying to solve the problem.


 
I know Thames Water have been digging the roads up in London like bastards for the past 8 or so years. No idea what overall effect it's had yet though.


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## sim667 (Feb 21, 2012)

Dan U said:


> there was a pic of it in a paper i saw showing it now and 12 months ago. looks like a bit of a walk to find some water in it


 
You can see how low it is on their webcam


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## Dan U (Feb 21, 2012)

*waves at sims boat*


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## sim667 (Feb 21, 2012)

Dan U said:


> *waves at sims boat*


 Ha, you cant see my boat, its way back in the fields..... I dont go there that often, I'm not really that welcome as I sail a catamaran


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## BoatieBird (Feb 21, 2012)

We've managed to get hold of another 3 containers that we can use as water butts for the garden this summer.
There's already 3, connected to the house, garage and greenhouse so we're going to double up on them all.

I'm also planning on siphoning the bath/shower water out of the bathroom window and into another water butt.

Hopefully that should give us enough water for the veggies and the flowers, but I think the lawn will suffer this year.


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## Dan U (Feb 23, 2012)

according to 'number crunching' in this weeks Private Eye, Bewl water contains as much water as Southern loses via leaks each year pretty much.


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## sim667 (Feb 23, 2012)

Thats a lorra fucking water


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## Maggot (Feb 25, 2012)

EastEnder said:


> Baths are the real problem. People who have baths should be branded with the slogan: I love wasting water and wallowing in my own filth.


I love baths, but I make up for it by not flushing my toilet every time I wee, and rarely washing my car.


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## BoatieBird (Feb 25, 2012)

I love baths too, but we make up for it by still being boatie scum at heart and not really bathing that often


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## Greebo (Feb 25, 2012)

BoatieBird said:


> I love baths too, but we make up for it by still being boatie scum at heart and not really bathing that often


I haven't had a bath since September.  Plenty of showers though.


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## ska invita (Mar 11, 2012)

It needs to rain a lot in March to make up for the shortfall....Barely rained once this last month, and that was pretty pathetic....


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## Dan U (Mar 12, 2012)

Hosepipe ban, from 5th April

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/mar/12/hosepipe-ban-london-south-east-water


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 12, 2012)

Dan U said:


> Hosepipe ban, from 5th April
> 
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/mar/12/hosepipe-ban-london-south-east-water


 
I don't even have a hosepipe so not hugely bothered, although was going to get one this year


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## gentlegreen (Mar 12, 2012)

Maggot said:


> If it's brown flush it down.


Only if you're about to add some more and could block the loo ..


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## ska invita (Mar 12, 2012)

Dan U said:


> Hosepipe ban, from 5th April
> 
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/mar/12/hosepipe-ban-london-south-east-water


A hosepipe ban before spring starts must be a first.


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## Dan U (Mar 12, 2012)

ska invita said:


> A hosepipe ban before spring starts must be a first.


 
the blossom outside my window says its spring here, but i take your point

it sounds pretty dire.


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## Maggot (Mar 12, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> I don't even have a hosepipe so not hugely bothered, although was going to get one this year


You should be bothered. Water levels are really low and we should all try and use less.


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## dessiato (Mar 12, 2012)

Sounds worse than here! The kids I am taking to London are in for a surprise when they realise that not only is it cold, but that water could be a problem!


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## ChrisFilter (Mar 12, 2012)

The willow pond near my parents is completely dry. It was quite large until a couple of years ago. Now there's grass and other plants growing in its basin.


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## hipipol (Mar 12, 2012)

Save yer piss, ye might need to drink it!!!
I certainly am!!!!
Got loads by now in old bottles, will be well safe when we gets cut off loik, OOO arrrrrrr Guvnor loik


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 12, 2012)

Maggot said:


> You should be bothered. Water levels are really low and we should all try and use less.


 
I more concerned with why the water companies are losing loads through burst pipes

As in not bothered, I meant I lived through the 1976 drought, so I'm sure I can cope with this one

Furthermore, I use less already by not using a hose in the garden (although this is more due to the fact that I don't have an outside tap)

I don't own a car either so I have no car to wash

I only clean my windows occasionally... very occasionally


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 12, 2012)

I wonder if the Olympics area will be watered or whether the grass will be lush and green?


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## Maggot (Mar 12, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> I more concerned with why the water companies are losing loads through burst pipes


Just because the water companies lose water through leaks, it doesn't mean that you shouldn't save water  (and the water companies have reduced their levels of leaks in recent years).


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 12, 2012)

Maggot said:


> Just because the water companies lose water through leaks, it doesn't mean that you shouldn't save water (and the water companies have reduced their levels of leaks in recent years).


 
I do save water by not washing my non-existant car, and not washing my windows every week.  I no longer work, so I also do less washing and when I do do washing, I use the economy setting to use less water.

What else would you like me to do?


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## Dan U (Mar 12, 2012)

Turn your taps off when you brush yur teeth is a good one, if you don't already


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 12, 2012)

Dan U said:


> Turn your taps off when you brush yur teeth is a good one, if you don't already


 
I always do that anyway


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## Dan U (Mar 12, 2012)

I think you are the perfect water customer


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 12, 2012)

Dan U said:


> I think you are the perfect water customer


 
Thank you kindly

I was half expecting someone to tell me to stop using water in my tea next


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## harpo (Mar 12, 2012)

I used to be metered and thought about every drop of water I used.  Now we're on a flat rate so *it doesn't matter*.  Obviously it does, but not from a financial perspective.  And it doesn't seem to cost any more.  In fact, what they charge us on a flat rate for 2 of us in a 2 bedroomed house is pro-rata less than I used to pay as a single inhabitant who was barely there, parsimonious when I was and paid on the meter.  What's that all about then?


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 12, 2012)

I wonder how much water is used on rinsing out cans, bottles, milk bottles etc. for recycling?


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## gentlegreen (Mar 12, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> I wonder how much water is used on rinsing out cans, bottles, milk bottles etc. for recycling?


I've never understood people doing that - I suppose if you're the sort of person who does washing up, you could use the dirty water ...
Part of the year I let the slugs lick out my jars
I tried fermenting my old tahini tubs - made a right stink ...


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 12, 2012)

gentlegreen said:


> I've never understood people doing that - I suppose if you're the sort of person who does washing up, you could use the dirty water ...
> *Part of the year I let the slugs lick out my jars*
> I tried fermenting my old tahini tubs - made a right stink ...


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## Maggot (Mar 12, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> I do save water by not washing my non-existant car, and not washing my windows every week. I no longer work, so I also do less washing and when I do do washing, I use the economy setting to use less water.
> 
> What else would you like me to do?


 That's fair enough. I just looked like you were using the water companies leaks as an excuse for not bothering to save water yourself.  I see that's not the case.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 12, 2012)

Maggot said:


> That's fair enough. I just looked like you were using the water companies leaks as an excuse for not bothering to save water yourself. I see that's not the case.


 
Not at all

and furthermore, I'm so thin on top nowadays, it only takes me half a sinkful to wash my hair which I only do a couple of times a week


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 12, 2012)

Anyway, what are your thoughts on rinsing out bottles/cans etc. for recyling?

It seems wasteful, but then the recycling plants would probably have to do it anyway, but maybe they have a way that uses less water?


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## harpo (Mar 12, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> Anyway, what are your thoughts on rinsing out bottles/cans etc. for recyling?
> 
> It seems wasteful, but then the recycling plants would probably have to do it anyway, but maybe they have a way that uses less water?


 

I do them in the dishwater after the main wash.  If you leave them in soak for a few hours the labels come off as well as the inner residue.  That has to save a job elsewhere.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 12, 2012)

harpo said:


> I do them in the dishwater after the main wash. If you leave them in soak for a few hours the labels come off as well as the inner residue. That has to save a job elsewhere.


 
I've always pulled the plug before I remember


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## Greebo (Mar 12, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> I've always pulled the plug before I remember


That's another reason why I use a washing up bowl


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 12, 2012)

Greebo said:


> That's another reason why I use a washing up bowl


 
Maybe I should put mine back in the sink


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## harpo (Mar 12, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> I've always pulled the plug before I remember


 
Even though I can use as much water as I want for less money now, I'm still a bit obsessed about water saving.  I never empty the washing up bowl until I go to bed and I still do the catching the shower water to flush the bog thing, (for example).  What I don't get is why Thames Water is not trying to reward me for that behaviour.   I suppose it's a bit like the key/card system for power vs the paying in advance but it's hardly an incentive to anything other than ensure the utility companies get paid.  Which is NOT the point.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 12, 2012)

harpo said:


> Even though I can use as much water as I want for less money now, I'm still a bit obsessed about water saving. I never empty the washing up bowl until I go to bed and I still do the catching the shower water to flush the bog thing, (for example). What I don't get is why Thames Water is not trying to reward me for that behaviour. I suppose it's a bit like the key/card system for power vs the paying in advance but it's hardly an incentive to anything other than ensure the utility companies get paid. Which is NOT the point.


 
Reward you?  As if


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## harpo (Mar 12, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> Reward you? As if


 

Exactly.  Which is what makes their eco-bleating irritating.


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## Maggot (Mar 13, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> Anyway, what are your thoughts on rinsing out bottles/cans etc. for recyling?
> 
> It seems wasteful, but then the recycling plants would probably have to do it anyway, but maybe they have a way that uses less water?


 
I hardly use any water this way. A tiny bit in the bottom of each bottle, and a quick rinse round with each can (if there's any stubborn remains on the cans I leave them). It's not much compared to flushing toilets and having baths.   

Dripping taps waste a surprising amount of water.


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## ska invita (Mar 13, 2012)

Does water from leaking pipes go back into the water table?


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## _angel_ (Mar 13, 2012)

Watch it, you lot are going to get lectured by the boss of the water company about how it's completely possible to wash yourself in a small beaker of water (then he nips off to get a shower at his relative's house in another county).


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## Mr Moose (Mar 13, 2012)

I





Minnie_the_Minx said:


> I do save water by not washing my non-existant car, and not washing my windows every week.  I no longer work, so I also do less washing and when I do do washing, I use the economy setting to use less water.
> 
> What else would you like me to do?



I'm prepared to not wash for a month for my country. Anyone offering less is not trying.


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## Mr Moose (Mar 13, 2012)

Sometime, in the next few months, it's going to seriously pee it down. Probably coinciding with your holidays.


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## yardbird (Mar 13, 2012)

As I've got loads of grass, it would be fine if it didn't rain.
Rain = mowing


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## peterkro (Mar 13, 2012)

Bloody farmers (not hill farmers or non industrialised farmers) are whinging about not having tax breaks to build their own reservoirs,it's only a few years since the tax breaks were withdrawn until then they could write the entire cost off against tax.
Water is pretty much a constant resource yet they keep banging on about people saving water,when I notice golf courses,horse racing tracks going brown and industries who use billions of gallons shutting down, with the water companies creaming off profits whilst doing fuck all to upgrade infrastructure at least since Thatcher, when they do something about all this  I'll be the first to cut back on usage.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 13, 2012)

Mr Moose said:


> Sometime, in the next few months, it's going to seriously pee it down. Probably coinciding with your holidays.


 
A great big spider has appeared in the hallway.  I have to go past it every time I want to go to the kitchen.

Spiders are a sign of rain.  They come in 'cos they don't want to get wet


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 13, 2012)

yardbird said:


> As I've got loads of grass, it would be fine if it didn't rain


 
Wet grass can be hard to smoke as well


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## gentlegreen (Mar 13, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> A great big spider has appeared in the hallway. I have to go past it every time I want to go to the kitchen.
> 
> Spiders are a sign of rain. They come in 'cos they don't want to get wet


 
Well, I have baby slugs in my house - so perhaps it's dryer outdoors..


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 13, 2012)

gentlegreen said:


> Well, I have baby slugs in my house - so perhaps it's dryer outdoors..


 

urgh


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## gentlegreen (Mar 13, 2012)

They're actually rather cute


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 13, 2012)

gentlegreen said:


> They're actually rather cute


 
they are NOT cute


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## Dan U (Mar 13, 2012)

Having slugs in your gaff is just grim. 

You need to sort out your damp problem or whatever is making them come inside


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## gentlegreen (Mar 13, 2012)

Dan U said:


> Having slugs in your gaff is just grim.
> 
> You need to sort out your damp problem or whatever is making them come inside


 
In the kitchen there's a gap between the plastic door frame and the quarry tile floor.
In the bathroom they come in through the window.
In the living room they come in through an air brick.
So nothing to worry about.

Quite what they find to eat in the bathroom is beyond me....


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 13, 2012)

gentlegreen said:


> In the kitchen there's a gap between the plastic door frame and the quarry tile floor.
> In the bathroom they come in through the window.
> In the living room they come in through an air brick.
> So nothing to worry about.
> ...


 
Maybe they lick the toilet bowl?

I tried picking one up the other week (first time I'd ever picked one up).  Couldn't get the slime off my fingers fast enough


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## Maggot (Mar 13, 2012)

peterkro said:


> Water is pretty much a constant resource yet they keep banging on about people saving water,when I notice golf courses,horse racing tracks going brown and industries who use billions of gallons shutting down, with the water companies creaming off profits whilst doing fuck all to upgrade infrastructure at least since Thatcher, when they do something about all this I'll be the first to cut back on usage.


 

What an ill-informed post! 

Water is not a constant resource as the last 2 winters have had particuarly low levels of rainfall - and climate change could make things worse still in the future. 

Water companies have reduced leakage levels by ⅓ since the mid nineties and they now meet their targets set by Offwat.  http://www.ofwat.gov.uk/consumerissues/rightsresponsibilities/leakage/ 

And because other people are wasting water, you think it's ok for you to make things worse by wasting it yourself?


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## Maggot (Mar 13, 2012)

gentlegreen said:


> In the kitchen there's a gap between the plastic door frame and the quarry tile floor.
> In the bathroom they come in through the window.
> In the living room they come in through an air brick.
> So nothing to worry about.
> ...


Nothing to worry about?  Having slugs in the area where you prepare food is unhygenic and disgusting!


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 13, 2012)

I wonder what slug slime tastes like?


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## gentlegreen (Mar 13, 2012)

Maggot said:


> Nothing to worry about? Having slugs in the area where you prepare food is unhygenic and disgusting!


"prepare food" lol.


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## gentlegreen (Mar 13, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> I wonder what slug slime tastes like?


I don't know - I'm always careful to cut off the crust if a slug leaves a trail on my loaf.

There must be a reason people eat snails, but not slugs ...


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 13, 2012)

It's irrelevant, as I would eat neither.  I was thinking of you GG


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## ddraig (Mar 13, 2012)

and hands off our water as well! 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-17346217



			
				bbc said:
			
		

> EAW director Chris Mills said Wales had enough water "at the moment".
> But he added that some rivers were at their limit in terms of how much water could be taken without harming the environment.
> Calls for Wales to supply surplus water to drought-hit England were dismissed as "too costly" by Welsh Water.
> The company said pumping water would prove very expensive and English water firms would would be looking at other solutions.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-17343140


> Welsh Water: 'Too costly' for Wales to supply drought-hit England


Tryweryn am Byth!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4354256.stm


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## peterkro (Mar 13, 2012)

Maggot said:


> What an ill-informed post!
> 
> Water is not a constant resource as the last 2 winters have had particuarly low levels of rainfall - and climate change could make things worse still in the future.
> 
> ...


 
If water is not a constant resource where does it go to then?
Regional variations in rainfall obviously exist as is the case in the south east and east Anglia at the moment.This is a direct result of the large population in the south east and prairie farming in east Anglia.The problem as I said is not lack of water but lack of investment in infrastructure whilst water companies extract excess profit.Climate change is a factor the main one being less water is locked up as ice,the recent melting of lots of this ice means more available water not less.Britain has more water than it knows what to do with,the problem is distribution and the lack of infrastructure,this also applies to the rest of the world.A huge growth in world population puts stress on water supply i.e. getting water to previuosly uninhabited dry areas,it's exacerbated by deforestation and building on flood plains and so on. Water pipe leakage is a problem and the one third reduction reveals how bad the situation is and not how efficient the water companies/OFWAT are,of course the leakage goes back into the water table so again it's not a lack of water it's a distribution problem.
I don't waste water however I'm not going to refrain from watering my veges whilst commercial growers continue to waste it on a gargantuan scale.I'd say my water footprint is well on the low side for a European resident.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 13, 2012)

ddraig said:


> and hands off our water as well!
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-17346217
> 
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-17343140
> ...


 
Wouldn't want yours anyway, you've probably had a leek in it


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## ddraig (Mar 13, 2012)




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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 13, 2012)

Was on the news yesterday that a lot of Europe's getting hit as well.  A lot of countries have only had a quarter of their expected rainfall


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 13, 2012)

ddraig said:


>


 
Glad you took that in good humour what with all this political correctness nowadays


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## Maggot (Mar 13, 2012)

peterkro said:


> If water is not a constant resource where does it go to then?
> Regional variations in rainfall obviously exist as is the case in the south east and east Anglia at the moment.This is a direct result of the large population in the south east and prairie farming in east Anglia.The problem as I said is not lack of water but lack of investment in infrastructure whilst water companies extract excess profit.Climate change is a factor the main one being less water is locked up as ice,the recent melting of lots of this ice means more available water not less.Britain has more water than it knows what to do with,the problem is distribution and the lack of infrastructure,this also applies to the rest of the world.A huge growth in world population puts stress on water supply i.e. getting water to previuosly uninhabited dry areas,it's exacerbated by deforestation and building on flood plains and so on. Water pipe leakage is a problem and the one third reduction reveals how bad the situation is and not how efficient the water companies/OFWAT are,of course the leakage goes back into the water table so again it's not a lack of water it's a distribution problem.
> I don't waste water however I'm not going to refrain from watering my veges whilst commercial growers continue to waste it on a gargantuan scale.I'd say my water footprint is well on the low side for a European resident.


 
The water shortage in the south-east is much more to do with low rainfall in this area than anything else.  

Melting of icecaps produces more sea-water, not rainwater and doesn't help us at all. 

You have a point about Britain having plenty of water, however, distributing it over long distances is very expensive, and would use vast quantities of resources as ddraig's link says.  Although there is an idea to use disused canals to shift water from the West Country, which is a possibility.


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## peterkro (Mar 13, 2012)

Seawater is the source for most of our rain,hence melting ice equals more seawater,higher temps equals more evaporation equals more condensation (rain).Yes it is ideas like the canals and the better use of grey water and so on I was referring to when talking about lack of infrastructure.This is not helped by building on flood plains (they don't just avoid flooding they also feed the water table) hugely wasteful farming practices ( in traditional farming for every Kcal of energy put in you get 10Kcals out for industrial farming for every 10Kcals put in you get 1Kcal out) and on and on.The lack of investment has being going on for decades as has the rising profits,in an economy with huge numbers of unemployed shifting water within England would be a sensible and relatively cheap way to benefit everyone (I can understand the the Scots and Welsh not wanting their water taken to England).


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## ska invita (Mar 20, 2012)

...still not rained...


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## fractionMan (Mar 20, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> Anyway, what are your thoughts on rinsing out bottles/cans etc. for recyling?
> 
> It seems wasteful, but then the recycling plants would probably have to do it anyway, but maybe they have a way that uses less water?


 
Never understood it.

The glass, the metal, it all goes _into a fucking hot furnace_.  Wouldn't want to get any dirt in there now would we?


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## ska invita (Mar 26, 2012)

...still not rained, and looking at the heatwave weather forecast for the next few days it won't rain in March...incredible really.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 26, 2012)

ska invita said:


> ...still not rained, and looking at the heatwave weather forecast for the next few days it won't rain in March...incredible really.


 
April showers soon maybe


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## Maggot (Mar 27, 2012)

There's posters up telling you to save water.


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## Dan U (Mar 27, 2012)

Maggot said:


> There's posters up telling you to save water.


 
so there should be. there is a remarkeable lack of education of the public on water saving etc.

certainly compared to countries more used to drought.


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