AIBU to be angry about hosepipe bans and whether people will comply?

[liquidfinch]

AIBU to be so angry about the hosepipe bans and the situation we find ourselves in?!

If we keep having these heatwaves AND hosepipe bans the future is going to become utterly unbearable.

I read somewhere that it's not even about us running out of water this year! The water companies are just worried about having to supply what we need because it will impact their environmental targets (they want to reduce water use per capita).

If they don't hit these targets it could reduce their bonuses and/or they might be fined.

These bans will have enormous adverse impacts on nature and ecosystems.

If we can't water our gardens, plants and parks wildlife will suffer. Pollinators especially. I think it's appalling.

Are you ready for the hosepipe ban?

Have you taken any measures (buying water butts, filling up pools) to mitigate the impact this will have on your normal routine/enjoyment of your home/garden/life?

Most importantly: are you going to comply?

• Cambridge Water:

Active as of July 9, and enforceable from 1am on Friday, July 17.

• Southern Water:

Enforced starting from 1am on July 11.

• South East Water:

Enforced starting from July 18.

You keep repeating the same comment over and over again, although this time without using the word jerk or talking about dog crap (well done!).

I get your perspective. I disagree with your framing.

I’ll never comply to such nonsense. They take our money. We are surrounded by water as an island - find a solution there. Same as recycling - it’s always put on us working folk to be feeling guilty etc but companies like Tesco can’t be arsed carrying the ‘recycle at large supermarket’ type plastic.

My heart bleeds for you

So, you have listened to the counter arguments, and accepted that your original post was wrong.

Fair enough, and good for you for being open to listening to different opinions.

But then you can't quite admit it. You have to deflect and attack someone who made a different argument. One you have accepted was right. So you attack the way they made the argument.

I've got about 500 flowers in my garden, including 60 or so sunflowers, and dozens of plants, so no I won't be stopping watering them with the hose. Like hell will I be watering so many flowers with a watering can. I would still be using the same amount of water, it's just that it would take me 3 hours instead of 30 minutes.

No ban here though. (Severn Trent area.)

"If we can't water our gardens, plants and parks wildlife will suffer. Pollinators especially. I think it's appalling."

Why do you need a hosepipe for this? A watering can or washing up bowl of used water does the job. If you have a large garden install several water butts. Plant wisely and only water critical plants and veg. Teasel stores water for insects and bees feed on the pollen. Make sure there's water for birds and hedgehogs too.

Good point! My water bill for last year was £700. As you say, we are surrounded by water, and we're not a huge island. They need to sort themselves out!

If you feel attacked - after calling me a selfish jerk over and over again - because I'm not taking the bait on your fairly aggro posts, then you may want to consider going outside and taking a breather?

Perfect weather for it!

Right. So you are happy with water rationing.

Just to clarify, the water we are surrounded by is salt water. It doesn't provide drinking water or water suitable for plants

Bless!

Honestly, they are fucking useless.

Unless you are using eco friendly soap/detergent, using grey water in your garden will harm the microbiome. Otherwise agree.

To answer your question, need a hosepipe because there is a lot of ground to cover.

You know, you can just say that on reflection you have changed your mind.

Love and peace.

Nah I'll be doing what I want. We have appalling water pressure due to a leak, a good chunk of our neighbours are affected. Water comp don't see it as their issue, but it's not actually on our property and clearly a way up the road since it's affecting multiple lines. If they're happy to lose all that water then imma assume they don't really care that my hosepipe has been filling my pool for 2 days.

I totally agree about golf courses. I think it's scandalous that they're allowed to water them when there are water shortages.

Mind you, it's also scandalous that water companies are privatised and they'd rather make profits for their shareholders than invest in infrastructure and maintenance.

Contact your local newspaper if you haven't already

You'd think SE Water would have plenty, given that a good chunk of Kent had no mains water for weeks earlier in the year.

Every night for a couple of weeks, SE News was showing footage of people queuing for ages to collect bottled water from distribution depots.

I’m exempt from hosepipe bans. It’s worth looking into if you have a physical disability. Where I am If you have a mobility condition where carrying cans and containers would cause you physical difficulties then you can get an exemption.

It’s always amusing when the neighbours get all irate and put complaints in about me because they think they are grassing me up 😂

I get a very nice email as confirmation that I’m exempt from the ban.

Sorry it posted my message twice.

Auto pots are good for running off a water butt. It’s how I do my chilli poly tunnel.

I am disabled, and I am on the priority register. I will for the most part avoid using hosepipes and my water usage is generally low.
However excess heat is very dangerous for me personally. The coolest room I have is currently, at 11pm, 27c. I do all the right things with covering windows, shutting the sun out and reducing solar gain when it's warmer outside, then opening everything up and setting up air flow throughout the building when it's cooler.
I do have one of the metal frame above ground pools, and I will keep topping it up. In this heat I'm in the pool any time I'm not at work or sleeping.
My only other alternative would be to have air-conditioning installed, and ignoring the price of installation plus running costs, until recently, I've seen the pool as less costly to the environment, but if we're now going to be getting heatwaves from May to what, October? I'm seriously looking at air to air heat pumps (with solar panels)

You're spot on about housing, and other building, too.

They built a supermarket and an industrial estate at the lowest point in the town where I live, which is alongside a river. The land used to be water meadows, and the first time we had a very wet autumn, the river came over its banks. Where it would have been soaked up by the water meadows, it just poured across the supermarket car park and industrial estate, and flooded 800 homes.

A couple of years later, they spent a small fortune on flood defences.

You have never heard of desalination then?

We can absolutely use seawater for human consumption through desalination. In fact, millions of people worldwide rely on it daily for their drinking water, especially in arid coastal regions like the Middle East and parts of Australia.

As I said, Severn Trent have no hosepipe ban anyway, so I will keep on using it.

We've run out of air conditioners in the UK so, sadly for a lot of people that really need it, that option is not even available at the moment.

I feel for you, sounds though! Best of luck and take care of your self x