Water tips for the South East: Kick back and relax to save water this summer

August has been much warmer than the rest of summer so far, and you may find your grass is going a little golden. Drinking water supplier, South East Water, advises to kick back, relax and let it go gold. Not just in honour of our Olympians back from Paris, but it will bounce back again when rain returns.

Grass is hardier than most plants, when rain returns the moisture will awaken it to be lush and green once again.

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 a healthy environment, secure water supplies and serve 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, supplier South East Water has lots of simple changes you can make that will help.

·        Washing clothes less – Save up dirty clothes and wash on a full load, which uses less water and energy than 2 half-loads. This means lower bills as well as saving water.

·        Re-use water in the garden – Water from baths, basins, and showers can all be re-used in the garden, on top of collected rainwater, for when it’s warmer and there is less rain.

·        Shower like a submariner – Deep down under the ocean, submariners must use everything sparingly and that includes water. Try dipping in and out of the shower in under 4 minutes, it’ll save you on energy costs as well as water. You’ll save more with a water-efficient shower head. You can get one FREE from South East Water here.

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.