{"id":849645,"date":"2026-08-07T17:28:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T17:28:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/849645\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T17:28:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T17:28:08","slug":"could-england-and-wales-ever-run-out-of-water-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/849645\/","title":{"rendered":"Could England and Wales ever run out of water? | Water"},"content":{"rendered":"

Half of England<\/a> and all of Wales are officially in drought. But what does this mean and could taps eventually run dry?<\/p>\n

What does it mean to be in drought?\u00a0<\/p>\n

There is no single definition of drought and every drought is different. But they are all characterised by a prolonged period of low rainfall creating a shortage of water.<\/p>\n

Some droughts are short and intense, like the recent \u201cflash drought<\/a>\u201d declared across half of England, which developed quickly because of unusually low rainfall and high temperatures. Others can take a long time to develop over multiple seasons due to prolonged low rainfall.<\/p>\n

What are the drought conditions like this summer?<\/p>\n

Helen Wakeham, the chair of the National Drought Group, said this year\u2019s drought was \u201cexceptionally serious\u201d and would have long-lasting impacts on the environment and the economy. In July, England received 7% of the long-term average rainfall, making it the driest July<\/a> since records began almost two centuries ago.<\/p>\n

A dried-up pond in Falmer, East Sussex. Photograph: Glyn Kirk\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

There was also a record-breaking drought in 2022, which affected large parts of the country and was the worst in some areas since the infamous drought of 1976.<\/a><\/p>\n

But isn\u2019t the UK famously rainy?<\/p>\n

Yes, the UK does have a global reputation for its wet weather and we did see particularly heavy rain<\/a> in the first half of the year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While winter rainfall can help to replenish reservoirs and groundwater, summers are becoming exceptionally hot and dry. Combined with climate-induced heatwaves, we are using water faster than nature can replenish it.<\/p>\n

Drought is only over when river, groundwater and reservoir levels are back to normal, and this can take time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A key issue is also storing water during times of plenty. There has not been a new reservoir built anywhere in the UK since 1992. The National Farmers\u2019 Union is calling on the government to streamline the planning system to make it quicker and easier for farmers to build on-farm water storage systems.<\/p>\n

Additionally, research<\/a> by Greenpeace UK found that 2.87bn litres of water a day is wasted by water companies through leaky pipes in England and Wales \u2013 enough to fill 1,150 Olympic-sized swimming pools and amounting to a fifth of all water pumped through the network.<\/p>\n

Where do water companies get the water?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most of the water comes from lakes, reservoirs, rivers and groundwater. This is then pumped to water treatment plants before being directed to homes. The amount of water that companies can take is controlled by environmental regulators.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During times of drought, water companies can use drought permits and drought orders to take more water. Last year Southern Water<\/a> applied for a drought order that allowed it to draw water from an internationally prized chalk stream and rare salmon habitat.<\/p>\n

Do only water companies take water from the environment?<\/p>\n

No, water companies are not the only ones taking water from the environment. Agriculture, power generation, manufacturing, fish farms and golf courses are all big users of water.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Maize is watered in a field in Shropshire on 5 August 2026. Photograph: Christopher Furlong\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Analysis by the Ends Report<\/a> revealed 47bn kilolitres (kl) of water was extracted from the environment in England in 2023. Electricity generation took 26bn kl, public water supply took 9.2bn kl and agriculture took 2bn kl.<\/p>\n

Why are England and Wales running out of water?<\/p>\n

The Environment Agency has estimated England\u2019s public water supply could be short by 5bn litres a day by 2055 without urgent action to future-proof resources.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Water demand is going up as the population grows and new industrial demands from datacentres and energy infrastructure require more water. Plus, the water available to supply those needs is going down as the effects of the climate crisis kick in, and we have greater variability and unpredictability of rainfall and greater water demand during hotter, drier summers. There has also been a lack of investment over several decades in fixing leaks and building new reservoirs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t there also a water quality crisis?<\/p>\n

Yes, there is a serious problem with water pollution. Recent government data<\/a> revealed that every single English water body is polluted with toxic chemicals, while just 14.3% of surface waters achieved good ecological status.<\/p>\n

Do people in England and Wales use more water than elsewhere?\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Consumer Council for Water has estimated the average person in England and Wales uses 139 litres of water a day. In Europe, this figure tends to be lower, for example in Germany individuals use about 120 litres per day. In the US, the average American is estimated to use 310 litres per day.<\/p>\n

The average person in England and Wales uses 139 litres of water a day. Photograph: David Calvert\/AlamyHow can individuals reduce water wastage?<\/p>\n

Smart metering programmes can help households look at their water consumption. The Environment Agency has suggested opting for a low-flow shower head, which uses about half the amount of water per minute compared with a standard shower head. You can also request a cistern displacement device from your water company, which can reduce each toilet flush by at least one litre.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, one of the biggest ways you can reduce your water consumption is through your diet. Some estimates<\/a> suggest a vegetarian diet could reduce your water consumption by 27% to 41%.\u00a0<\/p>\n

How can drought resilience be improved as climate breakdown accelerates?<\/p>\n

There have been three droughts in the past five years so becoming more resilient is essential. While we can all take steps to reduce our water use, investment is key.<\/p>\n

The Environment Agency expects 60% of the predicted 2050 water deficit to be addressed by water companies managing demand and dramatically reducing leaks. The remaining 40% would come from boosting supply, including the building of new reservoirs and water transfer schemes.<\/p>\n

Can water companies go further than a hosepipe ban?\u00a0<\/p>\n

About 40% of the population of England is under a hosepipe ban \u2013 officially called a temporary use ban \u2013 which is a legal restriction imposed by water companies to conserve water during times of low supply and high demand. Breaching the ban is a criminal offence and can lead to a fine of up to \u00a31,000.<\/p>\n

Water companies are all required to have drought management plans setting out what they would do in an \u201cemergency drought\u201d scenario. This could see rota cuts introduced where\u00a0water is limited to a few hours\u00a0each day.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Water companies can apply to the government for a drought order, which allows them to change someone else\u2019s licence to take water from the environment. They can also prohibit or limit non-domestic customer uses of water under non-essential use bans, and can manage the water pressure in drought-affected areas.<\/p>\n

As well as investment in fixing leaks and building new reservoirs, nature-based solutions can play an important role to help mitigate the impacts of dry weather.<\/p>\n

If nothing changes, could we actually run out?<\/p>\n

Yes, without investment and reductions in our water use, we are facing a serious problem.<\/p>\n

In some areas, the impact is already being felt. For example Sussex, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk have all seen housing and business development delayed\u00a0due to water supply availability and ageing or inadequate water infrastructure.<\/p>\n

A man drinks from a fountain at a park in London. Photograph: Andy Rain\/EPA<\/p>\n

South East Water said this week supplies in its area were \u201ccritically low\u201d and warned customers they may lose supply unless demand for water in the area dropped.<\/p>\n

In a report<\/a> written in the aftermath of the 2025 drought, which resulted in the driest spring in 132 years, MPs warned that without action to reduce water use and build new supply infrastructure, England\u2019s taps could run dry.<\/p>\n

In the infamous drought of 1976, several water companies closed off supplies, with the public having to use standpipes in the street.<\/p>\n

Dr Anna Murgatroyd, a lecturer in hydrology at Newcastle University, said the current conditions were equivalent to, if not worse than, 1976 and so \u201cwe could end up seeing similar shortages\u201d. But she said it was hard to say at this stage whether that was likely given the uncertainty of the weather. She added that water companies had more efficient systems today than they did in 1976.<\/p>\n

What does this mean for the future?<\/p>\n

Water companies are channelling record investment into fixing leaks and while it has been more than three decades since a major new reservoir was built in England and Wales, several are in the planning stage.<\/p>\n

But as the climate crisis intensifies, the risk worsens, and even if England and Wales manage their domestic resources efficiently, it will still face the knock-on effects as countries across the globe grapple with their own water shortages.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Half of England and all of Wales are officially in drought. But what does this mean and could…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":849646,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[49,48,295,66],"class_list":["post-849645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-environment","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=849645"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849645\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/849646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=849645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=849645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=849645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}