Why a golden lawn isn’t so bad South East Water’s tips for summer

Grass is extremely hardy, when rain returns after hot weather it will naturally bounce back to a luscious green without needing to water in between, saving you money and water.

But why do we need to save water when it’s rained so much this year?

According to Waterwise, we face a water shortfall of 4,800 million litres per day in just over a generation, if we want to have a healthy environment, secure water supplies and future growth. To close this gap, more than 50 per cent will need to come from reducing the demand for water.

There are many more ways to reduce water demand than not watering grass, and drinking water supplier South East Water has lots of simple changes you can make that will help.

·       Put down the garden hose - Use watering cans for plants and flower beds, instead of garden hoses, it will not only save you water, but overwatering plants can slow their growth and can cause nutrient deficiency.

·       Sneaky leaky loos – A leaking toilet can waste hundreds of litres of water a day and they’re not always easy to spot. Get FREE Leaky Loo™ detection strips here.

·       Water(less) way to go – Cars can be cleaned without water with waterless wash kits and microfibre cloth.

·       Catch the cold – Collect cold water whilst you wait for it to heat up in baths, showers and basins to use on your plants or pop in your water butt.

What has South East Water been doing to prepare for summer in Sussex?

We all need to work together to save water, which is why South East Water invest in year-round teams to tackle leaks and has increased the total number of leaks repaired to more than 20,000.

Yet, summer brings individual challenges, with the extended hot periods we have experienced in the South East in the last few summers and water use increasing by more than 50 per cent in hot spells, maintaining the network and enhancing it to be more resilient is also important.

As a supplier of wholesome drinking water, South East Water has:

·       Increased the amount of water they can treat at multiple sites across Sussex by operating its network optimally. Changed around when maintenance occurs on water treatment works and treated water storage tanks, to maximise what is in operation during the summer.

·       Purchased two water tankers that can help move water around the network outside of fixed pipes below the ground, as well as enabling water to be directly injected to boost supplies if and where it’s needed.

There are also ongoing projects to improve water resilience in Sussex, see more here.