Despite a wet start to the year, Wessex Water is encouraging its customers to help save water as part of a national campaign.
People are being urged to help themselves and the environment by reusing rainwater, with a few simple steps helping to save money on bills and improve plant growth.
This week, 13th to 17th May, marks Water Saving Week, Waterwise’s annual campaign to highlight the benefits of ditching the hosepipe and sprinkler, and raise awareness of the importance of keeping tabs on usage.
Current resources are healthy, with groundwater and reservoir levels well above average and no prospect of a hosepipe ban this summer. In fact, there hasn’t been one in the Wessex Water region since 1976.
Nonetheless, increasingly erratic weather means a water butt should be the gardener’s best friend in the coming weeks.
A Wessex Water spokesperson said: “Hosepipes and sprinklers can use between 500 and 1,000 litres of water an hour, which is more than a typical family of four gets through in a whole day.
“Plants prefer rainwater, while using a watering can is more efficient at targeting their roots, so it makes sense to re-use what has been collected in water butts over the very wet winter.
“Customers on a meter will save money as well as water by not turning on the tap. It’s not too late to install a water butt if you don’t have one – May is still giving us our fair share of rainfall!”
Water Saving Week also encourages reducing usage in the home, with washing machines and dishwashers impacting energy costs and household utility bills.
Wessex Water said water is heavy to transport and is often pumped across undulating countryside from source to tap, so it is easy to overlook the amount of energy required.
The company fixes more than 1,000 leaks every month and has invested £230 million in a supply grid, which means water can be moved around the region to meet changing demands.
