Water company considers hosepipe ban
Portsmouth Water Company is considering whether it needs to impose a hosepipe ban.
After two successive dry winters the fear of a summer drought is becoming more of a reality.
Ground water levels are now lower than in the record breaking hot summer of 1976.
Although Southern Water, which deals with waste water across the south, says it has no plans to introduce a ban in Hampshire, Portsmouth Water says it can not rule it out yet.
Andy Neve, chief engineer at Portsmouth Water, said there are three levels of measures in the company’s drought plan.
The first is asking people to be cautious with their water consumption, the second is imposing a hose pipe ban.
And the third is putting restrictions on commercial water usage such as on golf courses or by window cleaners.
‘But that’s a long way down the line,’ said Mr Neve.
‘Ground water levels are very low at the moment but we have not made a decision yet.
‘We’re watching the rainfall conditions over the next four weeks.’
Water companies, environmental groups and farmers got together at an emergency drought summit yesterday and heard that months of torrential rain was needed in some parts of the south to be able to bring water levels back to normal.
The River Kennet in Wiltshire has dried up completely west of Marlborough.
Portsmouth Water and Southern Water have an agreement in place whereby Southern can use water from Portsmouth Water.
Mr Neve said: ‘There is a pipe line between ourselves and Southern Water.
‘It was principally developed to help them out during a drought situation and it is there to use as and when they need it.
‘If there is a problem it might be used in the summer.
‘But we have a clause in the agreement that says if we’re in dire need we might have to stop the supply to them.
‘It can’t override our existing supply arrangements.’
Karen Hoy, a spokeswoman for Southern Water, said: ‘In Hampshire, ground water levels (which provides the majority of the area’s supply both directly and indirectly through the rivers) are only just below average for this time of year and there are currently no supply issues.
‘At this time, we do not envisage having to impose restrictions such as hose pipe bans in the county, however, given the prolonged dry weather the situation remains under constant review.’
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Weather for Portsmouth
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 24 mph
Wind direction: East
Comments
There are 5 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
leewindsurfer
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 11:24 AMWhy should customers suffer because of water company incompetence ? Summer's are often wet, and what happened after the very wet summers of 2007 and 2008 ? Water loss, that's what. Also, we are surrounded by sea almost here... remove the salt, and then there is water....Oh I guess too expensive.... well, use your big profits to invest in it.
snapdog
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 08:12 AMThere are lots of companies who use a high water volume in producing and manufacturing, why mention window cleaners? what about people who do car valeting, florist, butchers, restaurants....supermarkets, the list could go on... I have a water meter I believe it teaches you NOT to waste water, everyone should have to have one installed, payment on usage fair and simple.
Vox Populi
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 09:39 PMSo if we, the paying customers, are restricted on how much water we are allowed to use, presumably Portsmouth Water will not mind if we restrict how much of our water bill we pay? No, I didn't think that would be the case. Yet it would appear from their statement that golf courses would not initially be affected by the ban. What is their justification for this? Could it be that their over-paid board members are golfers? Talk about a case of "F**k you pal, we're alright".
ALANBALLSBOOTS
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 02:25 PMHOSEPIPE BAN WHAT NEXT . WATER BAN ......
Parkie Leggit
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 02:01 PM"Boom, Boom, Boom, Now let me hear you say - Hosepipe Ban!" ....for any Half Man Half Biscuit fans out there.
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