Call for wise water use as demand in Kent soars

Demand for water across Kent is outstripping supply, as this this month’s spell of hot and dry weather continues into the weekend. 

This week, we have witnessed the highest levels of use by households and businesses in the county since the peak of last summer’s heatwave, when temperatures hit 34C. 

Demand is 15% higher than it should be for this time of year – the equivalent of 14 Olympic sized swimming pools too much every day - and this is putting pressure on our network.

Although our reservoirs and groundwater sources are currently in a good position, if demand continues to stay at these extremely high levels and the dry weather continues, this will impact our ability to keep up with demand by treating water fast enough. It can also put added strain on pipes. 

That is why we are asking our customers to help us make sure there is enough water to go round in the weeks and months to come by using water wisely. 

Tim McMahon, Water Director at Southern Water, said: “We know when it’s hot it can be hard to save water, but small changes at home really do make a big difference. 

“For example, a standard paddling pool can use up to 400 litres of water - almost an average family of four’s daily use, and using a garden hose and sprinkler for just one hour uses 1,000 litres more than one person’s entire weekly water use. By avoiding or minimising such high use, we can all play our part in saving water during this hot period. 

“Although we are seeing this in Kent at this moment, the message remains the same across our region. Please help us keep your taps running.” 

Our website has lots of helpful tips and advice on how to save water around the home.  

We’re doing our bit too. We’re moving water around the region to areas where it’s needed the most to keep customers in constant supply. We’ve also doubled the number of teams working 24/7 to find and fix leaks in our network and have introduced new innovative technologies to detect leaks quickly.  

Tim added: “While climate change is increasing the challenges due to more common drought events, we continue to do everything we can to prepare for the arrival of hot weather and low rainfall every summer.  

“These measures include preserving our groundwater sources for the summer months, continued investments in our reservoirs and water treatment works, and doubling the number of teams working 24/7 to find and fix leaks in our network with latest technology.”