Despite the dry spring and summer, the chief impact of climate change has not been to make the climate drier overall. More heat means extra evaporation and humidity, which, while drying up more water from the surface and melting more ice, increases water vapour in the clouds and therefore stores up more rain.
This means that while it may be drier in one place at any particular time, somewhere else will be wetter. In a country with a changeable maritime climate like ours, this can manifest in lengthy spells of severe drought or rainfall.
All of this has significant implications for water management and as a commercial water customer, it could have a significant impact on the reliability of your water supply. If your provider is not taking heed and making plans to deal with the issues, you could have some very good reasons to switch supplier.
This might be the case more in some places than others, for example, in areas that may be likely to have lower rainfall in the years to come, in contrast to some that could get wetter.
Colchester In Crisis?
Colchester has been highlighted as one locality that could face a series of major problems. As the Colchester Gazette reported, the Conservative group on the city council has warned of a ‘looming water crisis’ due to low reservoir levels, with Abberton Reservoir at alarmingly low levels for the time of year.
While the issue is not entirely local to one place in Essex, with 12 places across England having reservoirs at less than 50 per cent of capacity, the spokesman for the group, Cllr Martin Parsons, noted that three of these were within 25 miles of Colchester.
Warning that the city faces a “double whammy” due to projected increases in its population produced by the building of 20,00 new homes that will increase water demand, he commented: “The water evidence for Colchester’s new local plan says that the Colchester area is predicted to go into supply deficit this year unless action is taken.”
The issue may even be a triple whammy, as there is concern that rising sea levels might push saltwater inland and pollute the freshwater aquifer that lies under the city.
Anglian Water’s Plans
Council leader David acknowledged the concerns and emphasised the importance of Anglian Water fulfilling its duties in meeting the challenges.
Anglian Water has itself produced plans for the future based on the anticipated need for more water supplies as the region gets drier and the population increases. Its main plan involves the construction of two new reservoirs, one in the Fens and the other in Lincolnshire.
That may be reassuring, but as a commercial customer with the right (unlike householders) to switch supplier, you can hold water firms to account by checking that they are taking all the necessary steps.
In an area like Colchester and other places in the south and east of England, that may be about more than just reservoirs. Questions about how aquifers are managed, as well as water extracted from rivers and streams and even initiatives that could help your company access water in other ways, like having a well, are all issues you can pursue.
The Summer Weather Picture Was Not Uniform
Some might think that the summer has been arid everywhere, but the Met Office recorded a slightly more mixed picture. Overall rainfall was 84 per cent of the long-term average, but while most parts of the UK had below average rain, some areas were around the norm and some actually wetter.
Among the wetter places were Cumbria – where Manchester’s main reservoirs are located – and parts of north Lancashire, the western half of Scotland and even some of the higher downs in Surrey and Kent, which otherwise saw average precipitation.
Some might suggest that the wet conditions seen so far in September, with many places in western areas, in particular, recording higher-than-average rainfall monthly totals within a fortnight, indicate that there won’t be a lasting problem. But is that correct?
Why Autumn Rain May Not Be Enough
It is true that all this extra rain will help replenish the reservoirs and, if it continues, will ensure no shortages this autumn. But that is not the whole picture.
Firstly, without extra storage capacity, reservoirs may become full after a prolonged wet spell and then extra water will simply flow on through the sluice gates and potentially cause floods in some places.
Without any additional water or other means to preserve supplies (such as reducing leaks with better infrastructure), another dry spring and summer could bring the levels low again, placing the security of supplies in doubt once more.
This may be a particular issue in Colchester for various reasons, but it might also become a growing concern for many businesses across the country that depend on a reliable commercial water supply.
