MSE News: Can I water my garden if there's a hosepipe ban? Here are the rules

Former_MSE_Nick_RK

Companies are urging customers to limit how much water they use as fear of another hosepipe ban looms - here's what you need to know, including how to save water and avoid the £1,000 fine for breaching a ban...

Read the full story:
'Can I water my garden if there's a hosepipe ban? Here are the rules'

Click reply below to discuss. If you haven’t already, join the forum to reply.

woolythoughts

You've missed out that you are exempt from the ban if you keep Koi or similar fish.

And if you are disabled you are also exempt from the ban.

PasturesNew

That's why it's essential to get the large pool hard-connected to your mains....

jamesd

A very misleading story. For example, it links to a generic summer "be water wise" South West Water page to imply there's some risk under the "Some firms are asking you to save water - but haven't put bans in place" heading. Every water firm can be expected to have such sensible use pages as part of their normal obligation to encourage sensible water use.

You could instead have mentioned the explicit statement on the home page:

"Are there any hosepipe bans this year?

No. The last water restriction in our region was in 1996. ..."

which links to their water resources page. Follow one of the bg green buttons there to Current reservoir storages and you can see both numbers and pretty graphs for the local (used first, so naturally at lower levels) and strategic reservoirs. Looking at the total storage graph you can compare it to a dry year, and see that it's following that trend but with a useful lag.

I mentioned local and strategic reservoirs because otherwise someone looking at Burrator in the Plymouth area might be misled by its around 40% level when they don't need to be. All that low levels at 4210 Ml Burrator causes is releases from the 34500 Ml Roadford reservoir that's at 80.4% full, holding about sixteen times as much water.

In this region there's little drawing on underground sources and the reservoir levels tell essentially the whole story, though some areas have potential water treatment plant limits at levels above summer peaks or if there's a failure.

The current draft drought plan, non-technical summary and page 64 of the technical version show that normal operations (zone A) are expected unless 1 July levels are below about 57%, vs the current around 80%. Had they been below that 57% threshold all that happens in Zone B is publicity and requests for conservation down to the start of July 1st Zone C at about 35%. Which is where hosepipe bans come into play.

Remember that dry year line in reservoir levels? Its low point for around September was about 32%. Roughly the middle of Zone B's requests for voluntary restrictions, not hosepipe ban territory either.

The story appears to be scaremongering for the SWW region, with supply levels more than twice as high as those which would trigger a hosepipe ban and even a repeat of the dry year above that level.

jamesd

On to the Thames water "Thames Water - which supplies Greater London, Oxfordshire, and parts of Surrey, is offering free devices to customers to help them save water, such as water efficient shower heads." So is SWW and I hope I've sufficiently thoroughly explained the complete lack of concern in that area. Giving away water use reducing products is just part of the normal demand reduction long term plans of the water companies, not a symptom of any short term supply shortages.

Scottish Water? You're linking to another generic long term demand reduction page.

Southern Water, appears to be another generic water use education page.

United Utilities. An actual page specifically requesting voluntary use restrictions this year, not a generic sensible use page. Customers in this area really are being asked to voluntarily reduce usage as part of the reduce usage campaigns that precede a possible hosepipe ban. This is what happens in Zone B or as Zone A gets close to Zone B in my previous post and customers should act.

Welsh Water, a generic sensible use page.

Of the six bullet point firms in the asking you to save water section just one is actually linking to something other than a normal water use education page. For the rest, you're just implying that the firms are making the voluntary reduction requests that precede a hosepipe ban when they aren't really doing that.

jamesd

PasturesNew wrote: »

That's why it's essential to get the large pool hard-connected to your mains....

There are a few cases where the law allows water firms to force the installation of meters. Large pools is one of them. If there are hosepipe bans, which normally include recreational use bans, that meter could prove that the law was broken.

MoJo

According to the legal notice on the United Utilities website, you are allowed to use a hose to water food crops in your garden or on an allotment.

50Twuncle

Could someone please explain to me - why I (as a blue badge holder) should be allowed to use a hosepipe or pressure washer to carry on as if there was no water shortage (https://www.unitedutilities.com/globalassets/documents/tubfinalweb1.pdf)
The criteria for a Discretionary Universal Exception
include:
!!!8226; Watering a garden attached to a domestic
dwelling, or watering plants on domestic premises
using a hosepipe by people who hold a Blue Badge
or by people registered on the Priority Services
Register of United Utilities Water Limited;
!!!8226; Cleaning a private motor-vehicle using a hosepipe
or specific low water use apparatus such as
pressure washers by people who hold a Blue Badge
or by people registered on the Priority Services
Register of United Utilities Water Limited;
!!!8226; Cleaning walls, or windows, of domestic premises
using a hosepipe by people who hold a Blue Badge
or by people registered on the Priority Services
Register of United Utilities Water Limited;
!!!8226; Cleaning paths or patios, or other artificial outdoor
surfaces, using a hosepipe by people who hold a
Blue Badge or by people registered on the Priority
Services Register of United Utilities Water Limited;
!!!8226; Filling or maintaining a domestic pond using a
hosepipe by people who hold a Blue Badge or by
people registered on the Priority Services Register
of United Utilities Water Limited;
!!!8226; Use of an approved drip or trickle irrigation
watering system, fitted with a pressure reducing
valve and a timer, that are not handheld, that place
water drip by drip directly onto the soil surface or
beneath the soil surface, without any surface run
off or dispersion of water through the air using a jet
or mist;
!!!8226; Commercial customers that use hosepipes in
the course of their day-to-day cleaning business
operation (for example hand car washing, window
cleaning, graffiti removal), excluding the watering
of domestic gardens;
!!!8226; Cleaning a private motor vehicle using specific low
water use apparatus such as pressure washers;
!!!8226; Watering food crops at domestic premises or
private allotments using a hosepipe;
!!!8226; Watering newly laid turf using a hosepipe for the
first 28 days;
!!!8226; Watering newly-bought plants for the first 14 days;
!!!8226; Cleaning a private leisure boat using a hosepipe to
remove graffiti;
!!!8226; Cleaning a private leisure boat using a hosepipe to
prevent or control the spread of non-native and/or
invasive species;
!!!8226; Filling or maintaining an ornamental fountain to
operate water features with religious significance;
!!!8226; Filling or maintaining a new domestic swimming
pool;

System

Blue Badge Holders

This link offers an explanation:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/ouch/2012/04/disability_exemption_from_the.html

It appears to be linked to the fact that some disabled people may not be able to manage a heavy watering can.