observer Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 - but not a drop to spare! Watched the weather report, the N/W is getting a good soaking, but it's not getting to the S/E, which is now an area of drought. Time we had a national grid for redistributing our water? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleopatra Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 We will send you some of our water, then you can drink the Nile!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 How odd to have a drought and a hosepipe ban in February Fish are already dying where my sister lives because rivers are so low, farmers crops are in trouble, boreholes are drying up, reservoirs are low...... not good at all. Where does Warrington get all its water from by the way. I know there's Appleton Reservoir but where else? With all the 1000's of new homes which have been (or are still being) built in Warrington should we start filling tubs and hoarding the stuff? I wonder how many would fit in a large chest freezer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter T Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 Comes from Lake Vernwy doesn't it? Plans are being formulated according to a news prog I watched recently to build a pipeline alongside the super railtrack to supply the SE. Initially it will be from the Midlands and then extended further North. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
middlec Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 How odd to have a drought and a hosepipe ban in February Fish are already dying where my sister lives because rivers are so low, farmers crops are in trouble, boreholes are drying up, reservoirs are low...... not good at all. Where does Warrington get all its water from by the way. I know there's Appleton Reservoir but where else? With all the 1000's of new homes which have been (or are still being) built in Warrington should we start filling tubs and hoarding the stuff? I wonder how many would fit in a large chest freezer I think Warrington gets a lot of water from Wales? I don't know for certain, does anybody else think that. How come after years of drought or near drought in the South and South East, they haven't considered building de-salination plants. We are surrounded by sea. On the coast in an area of Spain where we often go they have built one in less than two years! And it hasn't cost a fortune to build. Do you think the water people in the affected areas here have buried their heads in the sand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inky pete Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 Desalination takes a lot of energy - and so is a very expensive option to use. The SE could do FAR more with the water resources it has, it's frankly ridiculous that an area prone to drought with more water demand than they can supply is still using fresh, treated drinking water to flush toilets, water gardens and wash cars. If they can't be bothered to harvest the rainwater which falls on all of their roofs and use that for "grey" water purposes then we should be giving them our water - we should be SELLING it to them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 Do we 'give' them our water as from what Middlec says ours is actually from Wales. It doesn't taste as nice out of my tap nor is it as soft as the water we get when we are actually in some parts of Wales though so why's that? I agree with you that they should be harvesting their rainwater and I guess we all should really but daft girlie question now.... Doesn't unharvested rainwater from roofs and the likes go down drains and into the rivers and other places where the water companies get it from Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleopatra Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 How odd to have a drought and a hosepipe ban in February Fish are already dying where my sister lives because rivers are so low, farmers crops are in trouble, boreholes are drying up, reservoirs are low...... not good at all. Where does Warrington get all its water from by the way. I know there's Appleton Reservoir but where else? With all the 1000's of new homes which have been (or are still being) built in Warrington should we start filling tubs and hoarding the stuff? I wonder how many would fit in a large chest freezer Asda or Tesco. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleopatra Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 I think Warrington gets a lot of water from Wales? I don't know for certain, does anybody else think that. How come after years of drought or near drought in the South and South East, they haven't considered building de-salination plants. We are surrounded by sea. On the coast in an area of Spain where we often go they have built one in less than two years! And it hasn't cost a fortune to build. Do you think the water people in the affected areas here have buried their heads in the sand? Yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Tessla Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 I wonder how many millions of gallons pour out of leaking water mains each year in the affected areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inky pete Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 I wonder how many millions of gallons pour out of leaking water mains each year in the affected areas. About 30% of the total! (that's what the water companies admit to, anyway) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inky pete Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 Doesn't unharvested rainwater from roofs and the likes go down drains and into the rivers and other places where the water companies get it from Into rivers, often yes. But usually way downstream of anywhere the water companies are extracting water from. The reservoirs tend to be in upland areas fed by unpolluted streams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 Thanks, it's obvious now you have said it Another one (sorry).... If people start to harvest all their rainwater won't the water companies loose out financially though as they charge us for it going down their drains so we presumably wouldn't have to pay for that part of their service Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wahl Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 a national water grid was considered years ago but privatisation got in the way and every water company diverted assets to providing a very good living for their management and shareholders and balls to the grid. The only reason this is being discussed again now is because the South is affected and these poor people down there cannot be made to suffer. Their water boards could have had desalination, better leak management etc etc but profit before spending was their watchword. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted February 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 Suppose in a way, a grid already exists - the canal system? The Chinese built a 1,000mile tunnel to carry water from the Himalayas to N/E China - could the Brits do similar without it costing ten times the original estimates? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleopatra Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 Too big a task and too expensive for britian to build a tunnel carrying water from the himalayas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inky pete Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 Thanks, it's obvious now you have said it Another one (sorry).... If people start to harvest all their rainwater won't the water companies loose out financially though as they charge us for it going down their drains so we presumably wouldn't have to pay for that part of their service To a certain extent, yes. But then they won't have to purify as much drinking water only to have it wasted, or spend huge sums upgrading their infrastructure to cater to increasing demand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 Makes sense but no doubt they would put up their other charges to compensate for their 'losses' on others services to keep their profits high so we (the consumers/customers who have no choice in who supplies us) will always loose out in some way whether that is by early and continuous hosepipe bans, other restrictions or charges on usage or simply by overall inflated prices I recon all developers who are building these large new housing projects everyhwere, which must clearly be stretching the existing water supply, should have to either pay a large contribution towards either leak repairs in old and existing pipework or better still towards a possible longer term solution to what is clearly becomming something of a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted February 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2012 A solution may arrive, when the current thirst for money gives way to a thirst for water! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleopatra Posted February 28, 2012 Report Share Posted February 28, 2012 What you need in the uk is a of solid downpouring of rain, 16 hours per day every day for 3 months. Wouldn't that be lovely!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted February 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2012 It's usually the case - up North at least! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asperity Posted February 28, 2012 Report Share Posted February 28, 2012 As a matter of interest, the Met Office records for the last 100 years show that the rainfall in the UK is actually higher than average just now: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted March 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2012 Good news: the S/East is about to get hissed on this week! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harry hayes Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 I am a great garden waterer but think meters should be compulsory. We would only use half the water if we controlled our own costs. Happy days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted March 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 Think the biggest "loss", is through leakage and failiure to capture and store? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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