The National Drought Group (NDG) has met again this week to assess the water resource situation and actions being taken to reduce risk for summer 2019 – including how issues from EU Exit may impact on water resources for later in the year.

Chaired by Harvey Bradshaw, Executive Director at the Environment Agency, members of the Group include government departments, water companies and environmental groups, among others.

The role of the group is to prepare for and mitigate the impacts of dry weather, to coordinate action to maintain water supplies, consider water users and protect the environment.

Commenting in a statement, Harvey Bradshaw said:

“Wet weather in November and December 2018 brought a welcome end to six consecutive months of below average rainfall in England. This winter refill started slightly later than usual but the rain brought relief for many parts of England, with the exception of eastern England.”

However, he went on to warn that despite the improvement and a slightly improved water resources situation compared to this time last year, the picture in England is not yet back to normal.

January has been dry, with just 4% of the expected (long-term average) rainfall in the first 15 days of the month, resulting in most rivers flows being very low for the time of year. There are still several reservoirs below normal in central England, groundwater in aquifers stretching from Oxford to Cambridge have also not recovered.

The Met Office 3 month outlook shows a slightly higher chance of drier weather than wet during January - March. If the coming months are dry, water available for spray irrigation by farmers may be limited during the summer.

If the dry weather continues it will potentially have a significant impact on wetlands and the wildlife they support including returning migratory birds due to an inadequate mix of habitats e.g. mudflat, wet grassland, open water.

The Environment Agency (EA) is taking the following actions:

• Moving megalitres of water around, for example since April we have moved 27510 million litres of water in our Ely Ouse to Essex transfer and during January we plan to move a total of 7965 million litres.
• Close monitoring to assess the conditions of rivers affected by sustained low flows and prepare for potential environmental incidents.
• Supporting farmers by updating its position on flexible abstraction for farmers – due to be published in coming weeks - which will include extending the refill season into April for winter storage reservoirs.
• Reviewing guidance for water company drought plans and incorporating lessons learnt over last summer.
• Working flexibly with environmental NGOs and site managers to optimise management of wetland sites to ensure there is enough water on site or providing advice on possible other sources of water

Most water companies in better position than at start of 2018

Commenting on the water sector, Harvey Bradshaw said that while most water companies are in a better position than at the start of 2018, several companies still have reservoirs and/or groundwater below average levels.

The companies have reassured the NDG they are taking necessary actions such as changing how they operate their sources of water, spending more on tackling leakage, promoting water efficiency and offering additional services to customers such as Southern Water’s free water pipe lagging and Thames Water’s home visits.

Last year the Environment Agency issued 6 drought permits, reviewing each application to ensure the environment was not put at risk.

During the meeting Defra and the Environment Agency urged water companies to act early in making any future applications as a fair assessment of the water needs of people, industry, farmers and the environment takes time – and also because teams are working to prepare for EU Exit.

Conclusions and next steps

The NDG has cautiously welcomed the recovery of water resources in many parts of England but acknowledged the ongoing dry weather may put pressure on farmers and the environment in the spring.

The statement says the water companies were “positive that even if the dry weather continues over the coming months, they would not need to introduce any restrictions this summer.” They also reassured the group that they are not being complacent and that they continue to tackle leakage, review their operations and communicate with customers.

In the short to medium term, farmers and the environment face the biggest risks and those involved need to take action now to prepare for what could be a difficult summer.

Harvey Bradshaw concluded:

“Through the NDG, members will need to work together to act early and mitigate these risks, the potential challenges from a cold snap and the changes from EU Exit. We encourage sharing and trading of water as a number of members did in 2018.”

The NDG will meet again in March 2019.