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The National Drought Group, comprised of senior decision-makers from the Environment Agency, government, water companies, and key representative groups, along with Water Minister Steve Double, met today (Friday, August 12) to discuss the response to the driest summer in half a century and the continued action required. The group addressed the current prognosis and the related risks and implications, and resolved to continue cross-sector collaboration to manage water demands and promote water conservation.
At the meeting, the Environment Agency said that the drought threshold had been reached, therefore declaring drought conditions in the South West, sections of Southern and Central England, and the East of England.
The Environment Agency has confirmed drought in eight of its fourteen regions:
Devon and Cornwall
South Downs and the Solent
Kent and London’s South (including East Sussex)
Hertfordshire and Greater North London East Anglia
Thames
East Midlands of Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire.
The Environment Agency declared on Tuesday, August 16 that Yorkshire has also entered drought status.
The hydrological position (including rainfall, river flows, groundwater levels, reservoir levels, and the dryness of soils) and the impacts of these conditions on public water supply, abstractors (including farmers), and the environment are used to confirm the transition to Drought status in these areas. This is decided locally, rather than nationally, by the Environment Agency.
This change in status to drought reflects the effect that prolonged dry weather is having on water supplies and the surrounding ecosystem. It does not automatically trigger measures, but transitioning to drought status implies that the Environment Agency and water corporations will increase their efforts to mitigate the consequences and accelerate the implementation of the phases of their pre-agreed drought plans. These plans take preventive measures, such as Temporary Use Bans, based on local conditions, such as reservoir levels, demand, and projections. The last drought in England occurred in 2018.
Safe water sources are available. Water providers are obligated to maintain these supplies and have guaranteed regulators and the government that they will continue to be resilient nationwide. Defra and the Environment Agency are advising water providers to maintain their preventative preparation in the case of a dry autumn in order to safeguard crucial supplies.
In drought-stricken regions, the public and companies must be cognizant of the strains on water supplies and utilize water sparingly. Individuals play a vital part in managing their consumption in a sustainable manner; nonetheless, the government wants water corporations to limit leakage and replace leaky pipes as rapidly as possible, as well as take broader action in tandem with government policy.
Members of the National Drought Group agreed to:
Recognize the new threats and consequences linked with the present forecast.
Ensure that water suppliers adhere to their Drought strategies.
Continue to work together across sectors to manage present consequences, balancing water requirements with conservation efforts.
Harvey Bradshaw, executive director for the environment at the Environment Agency and head of the NDG, stated:
Current high temperatures have intensified demands on animals and our water ecosystem.
The EA team is doing well in reacting to environmental consequences and ensuring that water corporations adhere to their drought strategies.
Our unified approach to manage water resources, consider water consumers, and safeguard the environment has been strengthened by this conference. We advise everyone to minimize their water use during this abnormally dry season.
Water Minister Steve Double said:
Following the driest July on record for much of the nation, we are presently experiencing a second heatwave. Government and other partners, notably the Environment Agency, are already taking steps to mitigate the effects.
All water firms have informed us that crucial supplies are still secure, and we have made it plain that it is their responsibility to keep them that way.
We are more prepared than ever for periods of dry weather, but we will continue to constantly monitor the situation, especially the effects on farmers and the environment, and take further measures as necessary.
Government, Environment Agency, water businesses, environmental and angling organisations, and farmers are already taking steps to mitigate the effects. Among the EA’s continuing actions are:
Managing abstraction licenses in a manner that strikes a balance between the interests of water corporations and our natural environment;
Working with farmers, companies, and other water extractors to manage water availability and ensure they have access to the water they need for resilience, while preserving environmental protection.
Operating water transfer systems across various regions of the nation to ensure that water reaches the regions most impacted by extended drought.
Planning with water firms and ensuring that they have and execute their pre-agreed-upon drought strategies. Every English water provider has a documented drought strategy on its website.
Monitoring environmental parameters on important rivers for temperature, dissolved oxygen and algal activity
Activating EA waterway drought plans to regulate navigation cautiously
Where river flows are very low, reoxygenating water and rescuing fish in distress;
Aiding the Fire and Rescue Service in combating garbage and wildfires.
This week, the Environment Secretary also approved the EA’s request to Defra for a drought order, which would keep the Holme Styes reservoir in Holmfirth from drying out. This implies that the Environment Agency may request Yorkshire Water to reduce the amount of water leaving the reservoir, if necessary, to enable the reservoir to sustain ecosystems and species in the River Ribble for a longer length of time. The daily discharge from the reservoir will decrease from 2 million liters to 1 million liters.
As the Holme Styes Reservoir is a historical mill reservoir and not part of the public water infrastructure, the order will have no effect on the public water supply.
This year’s prolonged dry weather has resulted in abnormally low river flows and plummeting reservoir levels over most of England. Temperatures, especially this week’s heatwave, continue to place extra strains on the aquatic ecosystem and fauna.
Today, the Environment Agency released its national report on the water situation for the month of July, including the precipitation, soil moisture deficit, river flows, groundwater levels, and reservoir levels for the last month. The research notes that July 2015 was the driest in England since 1935, and since records started for the East and South East, with monthly rainfall totals for the bulk of river catchments being classified as unusually low for the time of year.
There have been five straight months of below-average precipitation and above-average temperatures in all areas of England. In July, river flows, groundwater levels, and reservoir supplies all declined. Thirteen EA-monitored indicator rivers are at their lowest recorded levels, and soil moisture deficits are equivalent to those seen at the conclusion of the 1976 drought.
In the next weeks, the National Drought Group will continue to collaborate closely. Sir James Bevan, chief executive officer of the Environment Agency, will preside over a further meeting of the Group with water business chief executives on Tuesday, August 23.