Following an exceptional dry spell, Scottish Water are calling on people to use water as efficiently as possible in homes and gardens to help protect resources and maintain normal supplies across the country.
With forecasts of more dry and warm weather to come, following the driest start to the year across Scotland since 1964, the company is working to ensure its supply systems can cope with demand by urging people to help save water by:
- using water efficiently in the garden and outdoor spaces by using a watering can instead of a garden hose, where possible, and avoiding using sprinklers
- taking shorter showers
- turning the tap off when brushing teeth
- using washing machines and dishwashers only when fully loaded
- using a bucket and sponge rather than a hose to wash the car
The public water supply is resilient, and Scottish Water is continuously monitoring the levels of storage throughout the country to maintain supplies, but there has been an increase in water use by customers in the past weeks.
As a result, the amount of water we put into the network across Scotland has had to be increased from mid-April by 150 million litres per day. That’s enough to serve much of the population of the Greater Glasgow area with water every day.
Average reservoir levels across Scotland are at 81% and this is 10% lower than average for this time of year and 9% lower than this time last year.
It has been the driest start to the year (Jan-Apr) for Scotland as whole since 1964, with only 59% of long-term average rainfall over this period.
Information on saving water is available at www.yourwateryourlife.co.uk/save
