Catch it while you can

Now that Autumn has arrived, get your buckets out & save some rain, it's such a drudge getting it from a standpipe in the street.

This free advice is directed to other namby pamby Southerners as we understand that you from oop North will have been in wellies since September.

 

No shortage of water here more to do with overpopulation and rotting water company pipes as far as I'm concerned.
If the gas company took the same approach to leaks as the water companies the whole country would have blown up years ago.
Its been a bit dryer than normal the last year or so, but its happened before and it'll happen again, just like the floods that we were all told were going to be the norm a few years ago. And the gales we've got to expect due to global warming, and the extra cold winters due to the gulf stream being cut off.
Seems we need to have some total disaster looming these days or were not happy.
Oh then there's that meteorite due to hit us god knows when, nothing will matter after that anyway. :D

 

its been raining here for days and looking at the long range weather forcast..another 5 days of rain is on the way..we havnt got any water shortages..i do keep a water butt and its overflowing..so that just shows how much we have had..i am starting to think i should have created a bog garden!!

 

Ey up - is someone trying to take the ****** out of us up north lot!

At least the weeds come out better in the wet.

 

Today it has rained heavily from time to time, gales and rain last night rain forecast for tomorrow, rain forecast for the next few days.
The water companies want it easy.
The river will be above its banks tomorrow, and where will it all be by monday, out in the sea and gone, and we still have a water shortage.
And they have the nerve to THREATEN us with standpipes if we dont save water.
Right bunch of w******.

[ 20. May 2006, 07:27 PM: Message edited by: pete ]

 

You will of course have noted that the one company on emergency measures, and the latest one to warn of it - have quite an apalling record in terms of replacing and repairing.

You may not know this - but Anglia Water, the company supplying the driest area of the country - has no hose pipe ban, and does not anticipate one this year. Guess who supplies my water :D - but I am doing my bit to keep use down.

Mind with the government determined to build thousands of new homes in the south east :eek: Do they live in the real world?!!!!

[ 20. May 2006, 09:44 PM: Message edited by: Fran ]

 

Read somewhere that they want everybody to be on water meters. I suppose when that happens people will cut down useage even more and then prices will be increased because they aren't getting enough revenue!

 

There is another reason for installing water meters; It is the waterboards way of telling you that this is where their responsibility ends! If you don't have their maintenance scheme, then hard luck mate!!! Oh, and by the way, when you phone up on the emergency line and tell them that you have a leek underground somewhere, that's the reply that you get. They said they would get to me in about a week! A WEEK!!! "Well sir, we have to deal with essential repairs first, as you are beyond the meter, we are not responsible!"...very nice!

I wonder if it would have been any different if I had a maintenance contract...anybody?

P.S. not that I am thinking of getting one!

 

Exactly what I was thinking! Its only cheaper for some to go on a meter whilst there are people who aren't.

 

When I lived in Cambs [Anglia water] I opted for a water meter after my daughters left home, and despite usingthe hosepipe extensively in the garden, my water bills went down by half.
It is raining here today and has been all week, all my water butts are full again. I get so cross when companies say we are short of water, I wish I had the money to install a filtration system for indoor water.
And they are still declaring millions in profits- I'll believe in water shortages when their profits come down....

 

As I understand it, the south east and London depend a lot on underground water,so its more about the amount of water in aqaufer (?spelling) + increased demand, + high leakage. So with a couple of dry winters there is not very much left below ground - although the reservoires may be 90% full.

What is even more irritating - is that when the North Sea gas pipes were laid from North to South - it was suggested that it would be appropriate to lay water pipes as well. However the government of the day decided against - probably due to cost - inparticular the power required to pump water, which is heavy. Prohibitively costly to do it now though

 

As you say Fran, Our water, I believe comes from boreholes in the chalk, I'm on Mid Kent Water, but I dont think there has been any investment in new means of collecting or saving water in this area for years.
Southern Water's resevoir at Bewl Water was topped up with water from the river medway but the the palavoir involved in doing that was rediculous, just to get permission.
I bet other countries have a good laugh at the way run our rivers, masses of water and the water companies cant touch it.

 

Cold - windy - torrential rain..... oh - must mean we are going off on our hols!!! (And South Hampshire will be basking in sunshine come the weekend!!!)

 

My brother emailed from Crete today (he moved there 3yrs ago) just to say it was 33c midday and 27c in the evening. Nothing like rubbing it in!
I said I hope he gets a Gadaffi clay storm (muddy rain)ha ha to stop his gloating. :D
Probably get it when we go there in October.

 

Pete - I am rather glad the water companies do have to go through hoops before they can increase their river extraction. They do actually extract from the rivers, but with strict controls.

The fact that the water companies nee government, have not invested in renewal of ancient pipework, and methods of water catchment and conservation, is not a reason for rivers only just recovering from our attentions, to be ruined again.

Being cynical, a good painful drought, is just the thing to focus the government mind, responsible for privatising to avoid the cost of doing just what the water companies are now being required to do. I well remember 1976 and that was before privatisation as I recall.

But no doubt they will as normal look to blame the water companies - who indeed have to take some responsibility. But the investment required is huge, and the price of water is strictly limited.

The story of privatisation.

Its kinda like North Sea Gas - the end date for that was predicted ages ago - but its not until problems with supply surface, that any action is considered.

Sorry hot button pressed again.

[ 22. May 2006, 10:42 PM: Message edited by: Fran ]