Will there be a water shortage this year?

[Duxuk]

I read the opinion of some doom monger somewhere on t'inteweb who suggested that reservoir levels were dangerously low. This could directly impact our brewing. I've just looked at United Utilities web page and frankly it's a mixed picture. The ground hasn't been too bad for mountain biking, which suggests that rainfall has been low.
https://www.unitedutilities.com/help-and-support/your-water-supply/reservoir-levels/
Will we get a water shortage this year?

 

[Duxuk]

I've just looked at the figures again. They don't look good.

 

[Ajhutch]

Interesting figures, good on them for making that available. I wonder how it compares to a similar time of year in years when there have eventually been hosepipe bans etc.

 

[terrym]

Will we get a water shortage this year?

Who knows? We haven't finished January yet
In the UK many water supplies come from underground aquifers not reservoirs. And these are more resilient to rainfall levels at any one time.
Plus it is of course dependant upon where you live. Some areas are simply wetter than others.
But at the end of the day if you end up with standpipes in your street or using bottled water supplied by the water company homebrewing could be way down on your list of life's priorities

 

[Gunge]

Oh I do hope so; I remember '76 and the fun we all had.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Oh I do hope so; I remember '76 and the fun we all had.

I remember a long hot summer but didn't realise it went on for three months.

 

[Nicks90]

I have a borehole and don't use the water authority H2O, so I don't really care.
I've got a septic tank too so dont even use them for that!
Water rates = a big fat zero!

 

[Slid]

I read the opinion of some doom monger somewhere on t'inteweb who suggested that reservoir levels were dangerously low. This could directly impact our brewing. I've just looked at United Utilities web page and frankly it's a mixed picture. The ground hasn't been too bad for mountain biking, which suggests that rainfall has been low.
https://www.unitedutilities.com/help-and-support/your-water-supply/reservoir-levels/
Will we get a water shortage this year?

This looks fine to me - Haweswater & Thirlmere is the one to watch as this is the easiest and cheapest source. (Requires very little pumping and minimal chemical treatment).
Most water in the UU area is from reservoir or river sources with very little from boreholes. Hence it is very soft water, from a brewing perspective.
Last year saw a very dry spring and that is what caused the panic. Unless this is repeated this year, there will be little chance of a shortage & goodness knows the rain is trying its hardest right now!

 

[terrym]

Deleted

 

[simon12]

I thought we had a water shortage every year.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Hosepipe bans are now commonplace in summer yet we lose millons of gallons every day due to leaks, what a crazy country we live in.

 

[MyQul]

Hosepipe bans are now commonplace in summer yet we lose millons of gallons every day due to leaks, what a crazy country we live in.

I noticed last week that the morning after the temps suddenly plunged in London that there were loads of leaks along my route/commute. Some of them hadnt been fixed several days later

 

[Cwrw666]

I have a borehole and don't use the water authority H2O, so I don't really care.
I've got a septic tank too so dont even use them for that!
Water rates = a big fat zero!

Me too. They can have all the hosepipe bans they want - doesn't apply to me...

 

[MickDundee]

Never gets hot or dry enough up here for water shortages! And our water charges are a flat rate as part of our Council Tax

 

[terrym]

I noticed last week that the morning after the temps suddenly plunged in London that there were loads of leaks along my route/commute. Some of them hadnt been fixed several days later

That can also be the fault of the 'general public'. If the water companies don't get told about a leak how are they going to know it's there so they can fix it? All water companies have leak-lines or whatever they are called. Typically there was running water from a leak on a busy road I occasionally use near me for at least 3 weeks, I reported it and it was fixed within 2 days. A lot of our water is supplied in decades old pipes under roads and what with the increase in traffic and in particular the weight of lorries its inevitable that pipes and fittings fail. And folks moan when they see the leakage figures, but moan again when they are faced with a queue behind a set of traffic lights when a leak is is being fixed in the road.

 

[MyQul]

That can also be the fault of the 'general public'. If the water companies don't get told about a leak how are they going to know it's there so they can fix it? All water companies have leak-lines or whatever they are called. Typically there was running water from a leak on a busy road I occasionally use near me for at least 3 weeks, I reported it and it was fixed within 2 days. A lot of our water is supplied in decades old pipes under roads and what with the increase in traffic and in particular the weight of lorries its inevitable that pipes and fittings fail. And folks moan when they see the leakage figures, but moan again when they are faced with a queue behind a set of traffic lights when a leak is is being fixed in the road.

The leak had been reported and Thames Water were on the case but it seemed to be taking a few days to fix. Maybe it burst more than once? . It was on one of the main roads in and out of Wimbledon so I can imagine, as you say the weight of all the traffic had caused it to busts (as well as I suspect water freezing in the pipes)