Sprinklers being used on grass at Dulwich college playing fields

[NewWave]

Walking past the playing fields opposite Dulwich college around 11am I was actually surprised and angry to see about 3 large rotating sprinkler systems watering the grass behind the running track.

We are in a drought for heavens sake !!!

The kids are on school holidays and yet there is all that precious water being wasted...

walk by and I guarantee you its the only beautiful verdant stretch expanse of grass you'll encounter for miles...

Certainly not in any local park I've been to.

I really think someone should be called to account for this.

Its NOT a puny private garden its a field for heavens sake!

I find it really annoying the ignorance and entitlement of this.

And no this is NOT a classic rant its about being responsible.

[Kathleen Olander]

The same last Thursday week when I went past.

What an absolute waste of water.

[wordsworth]

If you care to understand, schools/sporting situations are allowed to water their grounds.

[AylwardS]

You are allowed to do plenty, but it’s not always appropriate to do what you can.

Is there a way a sports ground that is not fully utilised could be used by more than one group so the second group’s ground didn’t need to be watered with a sprinkler. Could the school put in waterbutts and a way to store rain water when it comes to then use later so they don’t need to use mains water.

It sounds like this is going to become more regular and even when rain returns a lot is going to be needed as levels have got so low.

[roywj]

Water leak on Burbage Road, water pouring down the drains - TW aware as there is plastic fencing up and a hole dug but water still pouring down the road. Water pressure was low yesterday due to this leak.

[Kathleen Olander]

Water leak on Burbage Road, water pouring down the drains - TW aware as there is plastic fencing up and a hole dug but water still pouring down the road. Water pressure was low yesterday due to this leak.

 

Yes, been going on since yesterday morning, TW nowhere in sight!

[Penguin68]

Is there a way a sports ground that is not fully utilised

If the sports grounds are allowed to scorch over the summer they will be unplayable in the autumn - assuming no return to 'normal' rainfall levels by then. This is an awful waste of an asset which provides an important part of a rounded education. Granted that many state schools have chosen to squander their sports ground assets by selling them off, when this hasn't happened all schools should be allowed to preserve their open air sports assets. That they are not being used now will anyway allow them to recover from use through the school year. Our lawns can scorch and recover because they are not used as intensely as sports fields, nor do they present any dangers to their users if they are cracked and scorched. Re-seeding, if necessary, domestic lawns is also a smaller expense than full re-seeding of areas used for sports, which require different and more costly levels of care.

As mentioned lower down the thread, the waste of water from poorly repaired Thames Water infrastructure (poorly repaired because it always seems to be the same stretches of road where leaks occur) is far more concerning. Figures suggest that approximately 25% of water is still being lost by Thames Water through leaks.

[legalalien]

If it's "behind" the running track/ treeline on the far side of the running track (as opposed to the field directly abutting College Road) then it actually sounds like that might be the DPL fields rather than Dulwich College. DC has a page about use of sprinklers on their website https://www.dulwich.org.uk/about/sustainability , which explains the situation / guidelines and how they are deliberately not watering at the peak times of 8-10 or 5-9.

[malumbu]

Peckham Town's pitch over t the road s just like the Serengeti. They've done the right thing, but they are not posh and entitled. And I expect Peckham haven't the funds to pay a large water bill.

[NewWave]

Peckham Town's pitch over t the road s just like the Serengeti. They've done the right thing, but they are not posh and entitled. And I expect Peckham haven't the funds to pay a large water bill.

 

Yes Yes and yes!

[Glemham]

All day yesterday and again this morning there are two sprinklers watering the Alleyn’s playing field which is visible only to residents of Dovercourt and Woodwarde Roads. The result is a green oasis surrounded by parched gardens. This playing field doesn’t get much use, but the school is a business so no doubt is allowed to waste water in this way.

At the weekend homes in and around Burbage Road in Dulwich Village were without water due to a major leak, but Thames Water hasn’t introduced a hosepipe ban. It is known to be the worst of the water companies, paying their senior management grotesquely high salaries and bonuses whilst having the worst record for leakage.

As we’re all beginning to realise that water is the most precious commodity would renationalising it really be worse than what we have now?

[ED - NAGAIUTB]

Plenty of these pitches are being used by various holiday clubs and sport activities.

Just for balance, in England and Wales we lose 3.1 BILLION litres of water a day through leaks in the network, yet out utilities continue to be a favourite investment from overseas funds due to their high rate of return.

The new Thames Water CEO has, allegedly, got a £3 million golden hello. They're either going to be brilliant at fixing the decades of underinvestment to warrant that, or will deliver bumper dividends to investors. You decide....

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

Peckham Town's pitch over t the road s just like the Serengeti. They've done the right thing, but they are not posh and entitled. And I expect Peckham haven't the funds to pay a large water bill.

If failing to water the pitch in summer means it's trashed through the rest of the year, not watering it might be the wrong thing.

[ED - NAGAIUTB]

Peckham Town's pitch over t the road s just like the Serengeti. They've done the right thing, but they are not posh and entitled. And I expect Peckham haven't the funds to pay a large water bill.

If failing to water the pitch in summer means it's trashed through the rest of the year, not watering it might be the wrong thing.

 

Also, the ban isn't in place until the 24th. There's been another mains burst 100m from the one that burst a few weeks back on LL at the junction of Firemans Alley. Don't see why pitches used by the local community should suffer lasting damage while Thames Water still see fit to pay huge dividends while they lose 24% of their water before it reaches the consumer.

If they invested more back into the crumbling infrastructure (that they've been telling us is no longer fit for purpose, for decades now) then we wouldn't need a hosepipe ban.

[Penguin68]

It is not Thames Water's fault that the infrastructure is crumbling, but it is their fault that they seem unable to complete a repair satisfactorily. Even where they replace extensive runs these still fail, in e.g. the South Circular by Horniman or Underhill Road or Woodvale. Both their planned and unplanned work are shoddy to the extreme.