Yorkshire Water issues water saving reminder ahead of rainy bank holiday weekend

Yorkshire Water is asking customers to continue doing what they can to save water over the coming rainy days – including making use of existing and DIY water butts to collect rainfall for future use.  

The reminder comes as reservoir levels are lower (66.1%) than the average for this time of year (88.3%), during the driest spring on record since 1852, according to the Met Office. 

Dave Kaye, director of water at Yorkshire Water, said: “The light showers that are expected over the weekend are long overdue, though I’m sure most would prefer a sunny bank holiday. Whilst rain is a relief, we have had just 0.5% of average rainfall for May so far, so we’d need significant and sustained rainfall for our reservoirs to return to normal, which isn’t forecast. 

“We’re urging customers to continue doing what they can to use water wisely and make the most of the rain by getting their water butts ready, maybe even making DIY water butts, and letting the rain do the job of watering plants and lawns instead of reaching for the watering can or hose.” 

Usage across the region has been consistently high over the last couple of months, with current usage averaging around 75 million extra litres of water a day – enough to serve York and Harrogate. 

Dave added: “We’re not just asking customers to save water – we're also going to continue working hard to meet demand and maintain supply. We're currently using our grid network, a 31,500km network of pipes which allows us to move water around the region according to where has more or less water available, so that we can meet demand. We’re also reducing leakage as much as possible by getting more leakage inspectors out there and implementing a £16m programme of investment into leakage reduction this year.”  
 
Water can be saved at home by:  

• Checking if you have a leaky loo by looking and listening for trickling water between flushes – they can waste up to 400 litres a day 
• Hold off doing your washing until you have a full load for the machine and using the eco setting if you have one 
• Use mulch and bark in your garden to reduce water evaporation by 75% and keep the moisture in the soil, and keep on top of weeds that take water from your plants 
• If you’re waiting for the shower to warm up, collect the cold water and use it to water plants 
• Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth – this can save 10 litres every time 

To find out how to make a DIY mini water butt ahead of the weekend, visit https://www.yorkshirewater.com/media/m41lppj4/make-a-water-butt.pdf