Enough water?
\nThe next time you head for the power shower, think again. While sometimes it seems like it never stops raining and we shouldn\u2019t be short of water in the UK, consider this. In England and Wales, there is only 1334 cubic metres of water available per person per year. That\u2019s about half the amount that hotter countries like Italy and Spain have. In the Thames Valley, in southern England, there are only 266 cubic metres per person \u2013 that just 20% of the average for England and Wales.<\/p>\n
Water facts:
\nIn England and Wales:
\n\u00b7 The amount of water used pe household has risen by 70% over the last 30 years \u2013mainly due to the introduction of appliances that use a lot of water, like washing machines and dishwashers
\n\u00b7 Only 66% of households owned a washing machine in 1972 but, by 2010, that figure was 94%
\n\u00b7 Water is mostly used for washing and for flushing the toilet but also for drinking, cooking, washing the car and watering the garden
\n \u00b7 The average person currently uses 150 litres of water every day (but this ranges from 107-166 litres, with the very highest use in the south-east England) \u2013 by comparison, someone in Africa uses on average 47 litres a day, while someone in the USA uses on average 578 litres.
\nWater stress in the UK
\nThe UK is a crowded island, and we\u2019re not evenly spread out.
\nUK population density map
\nPicture
\nUK rainfall map
\nRainfall (which is where our freshwater comes from) also doesn\u2019t fall evenly across the UK \u2013 the west is wetter, and the south and east drier
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\nUK water stress map
\nThe Environment Agency has described most of south-east England as suffering from \u2018serious water stress\u2019.
\nWater stress happens when the amount of water available isn\u2019t enough to meet the demand, or is of poor quality and differences in the distribution of rainfall and population can lead to areas of deficit and surplus.
\n\u00b7 Areas of deficit do not have enough rainfall, or water
\n\u00b7 Areas of surplus have more water than they need
\nWest Wales, for example, has a high rainfall but a low population density, and therefore it has a water surplus.
\nPicture
\nIncreasing demands
\nThe UK\u2019s population is growing \u2013 in 2008, it was estimated to be 61.4 million, and was expected to increase by 10 million by 2033 and by a further 10 million \u2013 to
\nover 80 million \u2013 by 2050
\nMore people mean more housing \u2013 and increasing demands for water. The largest increase in demand is expected to be in regions of the UK, where water use is already high like the south-east.
\nBy 2020, the demand for water could be about 5% higher than it is today. That\u2019s a staggering 800 million litres of water a day. Not only will individual and household water
\nuse increase, but so will industrial use (e.g. in the building industry) and agricultural use (e.g. for irrigating crops).
\nTemperatures could also rise due to global warming and so drought and water shortages could become morecommon, especially in the South of the UK
\nPicture
\nManaging or water supplies
\nKielder Water fact file
\n\u00b7 Kielder Water in Northumberland is the biggest man-made reservoir in northern Europe
\n\u00b7 It is 12km long and up to 52 metres deep
\n\u00b7 It cost\u00a3167 million to build and was completed in 1982
\n\u00b7 It was built to meet an expected increase in water demand from north-east England \u2013because of the rising population there and the expected growth of the steel and
\n chemical industries. However, these industries haven\u2019t grown as expected; in fact they\u2019ve declined
\n\u00b7 It is a water-transfer scheme (water is transferred from one area to another). The water from the reservoir is released into the Rivers Tyne, Derwent, Wear and Tees. This helps to maintain river flows when levels are low. Extra water can also be released for household and industrial use
\n\u00b7 Kielder Water can provide up to 909 million litres of water a day (almost as much as all the other sources in the region added together)<\/p>\n
Kielder Water: advantages and disadvantages
\nKielder Water has brought both benefits and disadvantages to the area.
\nPicture
\nThe need for water transfer
\nKielder Water is a major water-transfer scheme. Before it was completed, the British government considered setting up a \u2018national water grid\u2019 (like the electricity grid) to transfer water from areas of the country with a surplus (e.g. Wales), to areas with a deficit (e.g. the south-east). This idea became popular in the 1970s, because of drought, but it didn\u2019t happen in the end. By 2006, a national water grid was being talked about again \u2013 after some lengthy dry periods, and when the impacts of climate change became clearer. So
\n far, it still hasn\u2019t happened.<\/p>\n
The need for sustainable supplies<\/p>\n
The Environment Agency\u2019s view about water is that: \u2018We need to plan so that there are sustainable, reliable water supplies for people and businesses\u2019. It is also concerned about protecting the environment. Some of the ways in which the Environment Agency thinks our water supplies can be more sustainable are listed below:
\n\u00b7 Increase the use of rainwater harvesting, and grey water recycling for agriculture industry and commercial use
\n\u00b7 Make new homes more water efficient
\n\u00b7 Install water meters in all homes
\n\u00b7 Reduce water leakage from pipes and reservoirs
\n\u00b7 Consider the needs of the environment, wildlife, fisheries and recreation when allocating water resources
\n\u00b7 Share water resources where there is a surplus
\n\u00b7 Make appliances like washing machines and dishwashers more efficient
\n\u00b7 Charge more for water to encourage people to use it in a sustainable way<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"