Leeds weather: Yorkshire Water issues fresh warning as reservoir levels drop further after heatwave
Yorkshire Water has issued a fresh warning after reservoir levels dropped further across the region.
A recent heatwave, combined with England’s warmest June on record has seen reservoir stocks continue to decline across Leeds and Yorkshire.
Experts say levels fell by 2.5 per cent over the past week to 55.8 per cent, significantly below the average (81.9 per cent) for this time of year.
Yorkshire’s reservoir stocks have been declining since late January due to the driest spring for 132 years and England’s warmest June on record. Last week saw a heatwave across the country and amber heat health alerts in Yorkshire.
Dave Kaye, director of water at Yorkshire Water said: “The heat and dry weather over the last week have further impacted our reservoir levels. There is some light and localised rain around today and forecast for the rest of the week, but without significant rainfall soon, temporary usage restrictions are a possibility.
“We know that warm weather can lead to an increase in water usage, but we are urging customers to continue using water wisely. We’re incredibly grateful to those customers who have been making efforts to save water over the last few months.
“We’re working closely with the Environment Agency, and are working hard to manage our resources, moving water around the region to areas that need it the most. We have 100 additional colleagues tackling leakage and ask that customers continue to report leaks to us so that we can repair them as soon as possible.”
During warm weather, water usage typically increases, which further impacts reservoir levels. Usage almost reached 1.5 billion litres on Monday, June 30, which is 200 million litres above Yorkshire Water’s typical daily production.
The weather and resulting drop in water resources follows the Environment Agency’s announcement that Yorkshire had entered into a drought on June 12, as a result of low rainfall, river levels, and groundwater in the region.
Water can be saved at home by:
- Checking if you have a leaky loo by looking and listening for trickling water between flushes – they can waste up to 400 litres a day.
- Hold off doing your washing until you have a full load for the machine and using the eco setting if you have one.
- Use mulch and bark in your garden to reduce water evaporation by 75% and keep the moisture in the soil, and keep on top of weeds that take water from your plants.
- Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth – this can save 10 litres every time.