Caring for your water
Protecting our water for summer and beyond
by Steph Cawley
Operations Director at Severn Trent
It was during the blisteringly hot summer of 1995 that Severn Trent last imposed a hosepipe ban – a 30-year record we are really proud of.
And despite the driest March in 60 years, we’re confident that record will continue as we head into this summer, and continue to deliver two billion litres of water to 4.6 million homes every day.
We believe our region is well-prepared to deal with any prolonged periods of warmer weather if we all continue to work together.
To help achieve this we are investing £400m across our network on new pipes to keep supplies moving, while we have also reduced leakage by a record 16% in the last 5 years. We also need customers to play their part by being mindful of their water use, as we continue to face the challenges of climate change and population growth.
People tend to think about Britain as getting more than its fair share of rain, yet water remains a valuable and precious resource.
Water levels across our 66 reservoirs are currently at a healthy 87% and we also draw from a mix of other sources, including rivers, springs and boreholes, which means supplies are resilient during drier and hotter weather.
Unlike most other English regions, Severn Trent has not imposed that hosepipe ban in those 30 years. So let me share a little of how we have achieved that industry leading record.
At Severn Trent we have teams working 24/7 finding and fixing leaks, as reducing leakage is a big priority for us and our customers.
We had pledged to cut leakage by 15% between 2020 and 2025, but in fact we reduced it by 16%. And we plan to go faster and further by reducing leakage by another 15% in the next five years and HALVING the volume of water lost from our network by 2045.
Our smart meter rollout is also helping us achieve these targets. We have installed over 350,000 meters so far, saving four million litres of water every day.
Investing in innovation has also been a factor in reducing leakage, including using drones to be our eyes in the skies to spot leaks faster so we can more quickly fix them, as well as our no dig technology making it quicker and cheaper to fix leaks, while also causing less disruption to customers.
We know how frustrating pipe bursts are to our customers which is why we’re also investing more than £400m to install a massive 843 miles of new water pipes across our whole region.
This is the biggest investment in new water pipes in a decade and will provide an even more reliable service for customers and businesses.
We have expert teams monitoring our reservoirs and managing the flow of water on our huge network around the clock, helping to ensure everyone has water when they need it.
And we’re not just an industry leader in the UK, but we are setting the example for best practice across Europe and the World too:
Our customers can also continue to play a part in caring for our water - and saving water can also save them money.
We’ve been encouraging people to re-use rainwater and have given out over 9,500 free water butts across our region, way ahead of our 8,000-installation target.
This means customers will be able to use the rainwater collected from their roof to water their gardens instead of hose pipes, which can use 1,000 litres an hour.
Thera are other simple steps everyone can take which could also help them save money on bills all year around.
First and foremost, customers switching to a free water meter could see an immediate saving versus a flat-rate bill, as they only pay for what they use.
And by just doing little things, we can change ordinary habits, resulting in extraordinary benefits. These include:
By following simple steps like these, a family of four could save hundreds of pounds on their water and energy bills.
Our water is our region’s most precious natural resource, so let’s all play our part to protect and secure our water - and enjoy a wonderful summer.