Torrential rain and the Hose Pipe Ban.....

[Mick Mac]

Was it really necessary given the current April rainfall? Is there any chance of it being rescinded, or are we too far into the depths of this "drought" to go back.

[Brendan]

Don?t care. There?s no way you?d catch me outside watering the garden in this weather anyway.

[ianr]

I came across this in the Daily telegraph when looking for records of actual rainfall (rather than forecast): April-could-break-rainfall-records-but-wont-end-the-drought.html

If anyone does find a site routinely recording UK rainfall measurements please do post the URL.

[Ed: the best I've found so far are the weekly and monthly water situation reports at http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/drought/31749.aspx.]

[StraferJack]

it's 2 years of water shortfall so regardless of how much it rains this week and next it's not going to replenish the water supply

[StraferJack]

These appear to be just the job

if you are looking for daily/monthly whatever

[Marmora Man]

But if the drought goes on for much longer I'll have webbed feet.

[womanofdulwich]

I would have thought to the average domestic user in London a hosepipe ban would have no effect whatsoever.

[ianr]

> These appear to be just the job if you are looking for daily/monthly whatever

Just the ticket, thanks. Nicely complements the EA data sets I mentioned.

[maxxi]

I have been outside commissioned a specialist research unit and checked - and it is definitely the wrong kind of water. The drought will officially be ended when the water table is at knee level.

[red devil]

I saw a news report earlier from a rain soaked reservoir where the water level is still 4ft lower than normal...hope that wasn't too technical for you Mick ;-)

[Chippy Minton]

The hosepipe ban has absolutely no affect on anyone at night ;-)

[Mick Mac]

red devil Wrote:

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> I saw a news report earlier from a rain soaked

> reservoir where the water level is still 4ft lower

> than normal...hope that wasn't too technical for

> you Mick ;-)

I reckon that in the time since you posted this, it should now have risen to about normal.

[DulwichFox]

One way to save water.....

Dilute it... :)

Fox.

[Mick Mac]

Save water, bath with a friend. :))

[Marmora Man]

Mick Mac Wrote:

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> Save water, bath with a friend. :))

and don't put water in your whisky.

[Devil]

I say, rather silly question, it could rain every day for the whole month and still would not replenish depleted water resources. Its more over the course of a years rainfall that counts, not a few days. I say.

[Townleygreen]

I am afraid that it is now too warm for any rain to make any real difference to the drought.

Basically, from April on the plants are all growing (ie using water in transpiration/breathing, transferring it to the atmosphere from the soil) plus the (relative!) warmth of the temperatures mean that evaporation and transpiration removes most of the water form the soil, so none can seep down into the aquifers in the rock, or even flow into the rivers (apart from a few flood events in the latter case).

Essentially, we need rain in the period from late Oct to end March in order to end this drought.

[maxxi]

Well it's not the fault of Thames Water - yes I know they made an operating profit of ?600million last year and I know they've just put prices up 6.75% and I know they are losing 673million litres a day in leaks and have just imposed a hosepipe ban punishable with ?1000 fines but it isn't their fault and it would be typical of you leftie liberal cardigan-wearing bath-taking garden-watering car-washing veggie fascists to suggest that it was. You lot just hate a successful business don't you?*

*sponsored by Kemble Water Ltd.

[wee quinnie]

Mick - don't know if you have water butt(s), but my understanding is that you can still use a hosepipe to water if it is connected to the butt, rather than the mains supply.

[Mick Mac]

I don't need to water anything at the minute wee quinnie. Nature is doing it for me.

I just thought the irony of hose pipe ban followed by wettest April on record was amsuing and worth discussing.

If I need to water, my solution will be, children, pocket money, get those watering cans..

[edcam]

womanofdulwich Wrote:

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> I would have thought to the average domestic user

> in London a hosepipe ban would have no effect

> whatsoever.

I does if you have a garden and want everything in it to stay alive.

[Mick Mac]

Townleygreen Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I am afraid that it is now too warm for any rain

> to make any real difference to the drought.

>

> Basically, from April on the plants are all

> growing (ie using water in

> transpiration/breathing, transferring it to the

> atmosphere from the soil) plus the (relative!)

> warmth of the temperatures mean that evaporation

> and transpiration removes most of the water form

> the soil, so none can seep down into the aquifers

> in the rock, or even flow into the rivers (apart

> from a few flood events in the latter case).

>

> Essentially, we need rain in the period from late

> Oct to end March in order to end this drought.

Well - perhaps all of you experts were slightly off the mark about winter rain etc. The hose pipe ban has been lifted. I cut the grass and ran out to buy a new garden sprinkler, just before it started raining again.

[mynamehere]

should everyone be required to have water meters?

[Townleygreen]

Mick Mac,

To be fair, no one could have predicted the massive rainfall we have had through April, most of May and pretty well all of June so far. Also, the temperatures have been lower than usual for most of this period (because it has been raining!) - meaning less evapo-transpiration, and so we have the very unusual situation of groundwater levels eventually beginning to rise in June. Pretty much unprecedented.

Show nature can always kick accepted science in the teeth if she wishes!

[Mick Mac]

I was just kidding. Glad the ban is lifted though.