Local residents are being encouraged to take advantage of May’s unpredictable weather by embracing rainwater collection and making their gardens more sustainable.
Bath-based Wessex Water is marking Waterwise’s annual Water Saving Week campaign by offering advice to help people reduce their ‘water footprint’, emphasising the importance of saving every drop for the benefit of the planet and individual finances.
Wessex Water is advising its customers to ditch the sprinkler and hosepipe in favour of more efficient alternatives.
Using watering cans allows for better targeting of the roots of outdoor plants, while installing a water butt makes it easy to collect rainwater that even houseplants prefer.
By making these simple changes, people can reduce their water footprint and contribute to water conservation efforts.
A Wessex Water spokesperson said: “Keeping tabs on the water you use in the home and garden makes financial sense, especially if you’re on a meter or regularly using the washing machine and other appliances that impact your energy costs.
“Using a watering can, ideally with rainwater collected from a water butt, is one of the easiest ways to make a big saving – sprinklers and hosepipes can use 500 litres in an hour, which is more than an average family of four uses in a day!”
Unlike some regions, Wessex Water has not imposed a hosepipe ban during recent hot summers. In fact, the company hasn’t seen a hosepipe ban in its supply region since 1976.
Approximately 75% of the water supplied by Wessex Water comes from groundwater sources, which means there is less reliance on reservoirs compared to other parts of the UK.
Significant investment in a £230 million supply grid enables water to be efficiently distributed across the area to meet changing demands.
Wessex Water fixes more than 1,000 leaks every month and has reduced leakage by 30% in the last 20 years, while its long-term water resources management plan ensures further steps are being taken to meet demand from 2025 to 2080.
