Issued by: Environment Agency

Many reservoirs in the region are at historic low levels for the time of year

The Environment Agency has declared drought status for the north-west of England following the driest start to spring in 69 years.

River flows have been declining along with groundwater levels due to the dry March, April and start of May.

Reservoir storage levels in the region are also receding and are currently lower than they were at this time during the 1984, 1995 and 2022 drought years.

The recent rain, while welcome, is not enough to reverse the dry start to the year and expected hotter weather in the coming weeks is set to exacerbate the situation.

The decision by the EA to move into drought status sees the regulator increase their operational response while ensuring water companies step up the actions agreed in their drought plans.

This includes fixing leaks, communicating with customers and supporting them to reduce demand, and submitting drought permits to take more water, as needed. These actions if taken in a timely manner will help preserve supplies for people and the environment.

In the North West, the EA continues to work to ensure United Utilities acts in accordance with their drought plan.

Although the North-west has experienced a dry start to the year, it is a mixed picture in other parts of England. The Environment Agency and Defra ministers will convene a meeting of the National Drought Group on 5 June to assess the situation across the country and ensure that water companies are enacting their drought plans to conserve water supplies.

Andy Brown, Water Regulation Manager at the Environment Agency said:

"Drought is a naturally occurring phenomenon. As we see more impacts from climate change heavier rainfall and drier summers will become more frequent. This poses an enormous challenge over the next few decades.

"Despite the rain over the weekend levels remain low and we are encouraging people to be aware of the impacts of drought as we enter the summer period.

"With further unsettled periods and rainfall over the coming weeks we will continue to closely monitor the situation and implement our Drought Plan."

Water Minister Emma Hardy said:

"I am receiving regular updates from the Environment Agency.

"I’m doing everything in my power to hold United Utilities to account to ensure we have the regular supply of water that is needed across the region.

"The government is taking decisive action to secure our water supply for the decades to come. That’s why we are building 9 new reservoirs and upgrading pipes to cut leakage by 17%."

Periods of dry weather and low rivers can have several environmental consequences such as deoxygenating water. This can lead to fish kills, as well as more algal blooms and diminished river flow that prevents wildlife from moving up or downstream.

The Environment Agency is encouraging the public to report environmental incidents to their 24/7 hotline on 0800 80 70 60.

Defra announced today (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-steps-in-to-build-first-major-reservoirs-in-30-years) that the Environment Secretary was stepping in to speed up delivery for the first two major reservoirs since the 1990s as part of government action to secure our water supply for future generations.

Further information

A decision to declare drought is taken based on reservoir levels, river flows and moisture in the soil along with consideration of the long-term weather forecasts. Droughts are often long-term events, starting as far back as the previous Autumn with effects felt throughout the following seasons. Declaring drought status enables the Environment Agency to plan, deliver and manage actions in drought plans.

However, there is no single definition for drought, so while it’s caused by a period of low rainfall, the nature, timing and impacts on people, the environment, agriculture or business will vary. Some droughts are short and intense like a hot, dry summer, while others are long and take time to develop over multiple seasons.

Read more here: Drought explained – Creating a better place (https://environmentagency.blog.gov.uk/2023/07/31/drought-explained)

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