24/05/2005 - Chelsea
Flower Show may inspire gardeners in the
south to spend bank holiday weekend nurturing
their gardens. But green fingered types
are being asked to spare a thought for the
amount of water they’re going to use. Despite
April showers and May downpours, the Environment
Agency in the south is still concerned about
low water levels and is urging gardeners
to think about the environment before getting
the sprinkler out.
The South of England has had six consecutive
months of below average rainfall – water
we depend on to top up our reservoirs and
groundwater for public water supply in the
summer months. Some parts of the region
have had only 60% of long-term average rainfall
for November to mid-May.* The Environment
Agency is working closely with Southern
Water, South East Water, Mid Kent Water,
Folkestone and Dover Water and Sutton and
East Surrey Water. The aim is to make sure
that water supplies are managed carefully
without damaging the environment - but we
can all do our bit to help.
The average garden sprinkler uses 1,000
litres of water an hour – more than a family
of four uses in a day. Yet water is a finite
resource. All the water we use is taken
from rivers, streams and groundwater. The
more we use, the more the water companies
will need to take, potentially leading to
environmental problems.
Using a watering can instead of a sprinkler
saves water, and using a water butt to collect
rain for garden watering saves even more.
If everybody used a water butt for garden
watering instead of main water supply, enough
water could be saved to supply 1/4 million
people.
If the dry weather continues, water companies
will be forced to impose restrictions, such
as sprinkler and hosepipe bans, to safeguard
water supplies for next summer. Saving water
at home and in the garden is important this
summer, to help reduce the need for compulsory
restrictions and limit damage to the environment.
Visit our website for Alan Titchmarsh’s
top tips on how to save water in the garden
and other tips on saving water at home:
www.environment-agency.gov.uk/savewater
Environment Agency Chief Executive Barbara
Young said: "Some parts of the south
have had less than two-thirds of average
rainfall this winter. We don’t know what
the summer will bring, but hot weather combined
with low river flows can lead to environmental
problems, affecting birds and wildlife as
well as river users like anglers and boat
users. If we save water now we can reduce
demand for water and pressure on the environment,
and help water companies avoid being forced
to take more water from rivers to fill our
taps."
The RSPB supports the need to save water
in order to avoid damage to the environment
and important habitats for wildlife and
plants. It designed its Real Rubbish Garden
at the Chelsea Flower Show, starting today
(24-28 May), to save water by collecting
rain for watering plants. The design was
chosen after an RSPB survey showed that
only a third of interviewees collect rain
for watering the garden.
Bryan Bland, RSPB’s manager of the garden
at Chelsea said: ‘By saving water and ensuring
every drop counts, we are not only helping
wildlife in the garden but ensuring we don’t
have a damaging impact beyond our garden
fence.’
It’s not just in the garden where we can
make a difference. Small lifestyle changes
in the home can help too. Turning off taps
when brushing teeth, taking showers instead
of baths and using a bucket to wash the
car can all help save water. The Environment
Agency is challenging people to save water
for World Environment Day on 5 June 2005.
Log onto www.environment-agency.gov.uk/wed
to make your pledge to save water and find
out how much you could save.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
From November to the second week of May,
England and Wales had received 360mm or
69% of long term average rainfall, which
is 500 mm.
For the same period, Southern Region had
received 281mm or 60% of the long-term average,
which is 470 mm and Thames Region had received
250mm or 62% of the long-term average, which
is 406 mm.
By thinking carefully about your water
use in the home and changing some water-wasting
habits, it is easy to save water.
Vegetables and fruit should be washed in
a bowl rather than under a running tap and
the leftover water can be used for watering
houseplants.
Use the minimum amount of water required
when you boil water in saucepans and kettles
- that way, you’ll save energy as well as
water.
Try keeping a bottle or jug of water in
the fridge instead of running taps until
the water runs cold.
Half-load programmes on dishwashers and
washing machines use more than half the
water and energy of a full load. Therefore,
wait until you have a full load before switching
the machine on.
Try not to leave the tap running while
you brush your teeth, shave or wash your
hands, as this can waste up to 5 litres
of water per minute.
A 5-minute shower uses about a third of
the water of a bath. But remember that power
showers can use more water than a bath in
less than 5 minutes.
Old toilet cisterns can use as much as
9 litres of clean water every flush. Reduce
this by placing a ‘save-a-flush’ or ‘hippo’
in the cistern.
Dripping taps can waste up to 4 litres
of water a day. Replace worn tap washers
for a quick and cheap way of saving water.
Rainfall statistics are now available by
logging onto our new weekly rainfall updates
available online.
