Anglian Water has been granted a second Drought Permit by the Environment Agency. The new Permit, which runs until the end of April 2012, allows the company to take extra water out of the River Nene at Wansford to top up its Rutland Water reservoir.
The decision follows hard on the back of a successful application in November to the Environment Agency for a similar Drought Permit to cover the company’s Pitsford Reservoir in Northamptonshire. which also allows extra water to be taken from the Nene at Duston.
Ciaran Nelson, a spokesperson for Anglian Water, said:
“It might seem unusual to be talking about drought in Winter, but it’s only by taking action to store water now, in the wetter part of the year, that we can ensure we’ll have enough available in Spring.
“The granting of a Drought Permits for Pitsford and Rutland Water follows successive dry seasons going all the way back to last winter.
“The record-breaking dry weather has particularly affected the west of the Anglian Water region where the Environment Agency says rainfall levels have been at their lowest yearly level since 1921.”
He added:
“Our reservoir at Rutland is currently just 62 per cent full. This drought permit will enable us to take action now and top it up in advance of next spring and summer.”
Applying for permits to run through the winter is also helps to ensure that the environmental impact of taking more water from the river will be much less than in the spring and summer.
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