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.

🙈

I will keep using it regardless. The water companies have spent decades giving money to their shareholders rather than updating their infrastructure. They are consistently polluting the waterways and are upping bills to keep paying their Directors etc even more money. No doubt they will ensure the data centres are not short of water. So I will use what I want.

My beautiful garden is dying, all the money and love that I’ve invested on plants and trees is going to fail. I will leave the lawn to go brown as it will recover, but I’m not going to let my newly planted trees and plants die, we need these for biodiversity. I have a big garden and I can’t carry a heavy watering can as I have arthritis so i will use a hose. (Maybe I can get an exemption I’m not sure?) I have a huge water butt and I’m mindful with water elsewhere but sometimes this mentality that we can all just use a watering can is not practical. I live in the southeast and we have had endless problems with weeks of no water. So I like many others feel slightly rebellious and angry to be honest. They are not reinvesting, they are not fixing leaks they are only paying dividends to the rig ineffectual shareholders and they continue to build. It needs to be nationalised and if we all comply the real problem is being masked.

We haven’t yet run out this year - got really close though! Thankfully we’ve had some rain in between the roasting bits.
I think most people massively underestimate how much water they use when watering and overestimate how much they think a 100l water butt can hold, then complain that water butts are pointless! 🙄

They system was a bit fiddly to set up and there are things we’d change about it if starting from scratch now, but it works and that’s the main thing. It also saves us loads on our water bill as we realised that most of the water from the hose isn’t actually used by the plants so we were basically pouring cash away.

Another bonus is that in this weather we don’t have to get hot & bothered wandering round the garden in the heat with a hosepipe! Sitting back in the garden with a G&T listening to the neighbours getting cross about dragging the hose around makes the initial effort and expense seem worthwhile.😂

Sounds like you should be able to get an exemption. Take a look on your supplier's website to see if you can be added to their list.

You might need a note from your GP to confirm your condition.

I'm sure you can just phone the reception or you could use the online consultation form, if your surgery uses that service.

Take care and best of luck with your garden x

Farming animals is a massive drain (and waste) on water resources. I’d be well annoyed if you asked that of me.

Not sure if you were answered - but you pop onto the website and register yourself as a priority user. If you have a blue badge you would declare it here, but so long as you are diagnosed you can declare it there. Did it this afternoon as not only does it mean our household would be exempt from a ban, but apparently they will bring bottled water to our home if there is an outage.

How does the switch divert the water?

Here you go!

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/ethical_living/5552567-positive-action-on-water-conservation

All practical suggestions welcome!

This sounds great. Would you mind telling me more about what dippers and equipment you bought to set this up please, maybe on this thread? https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/ethical_living/5552567-positive-action-on-water-conservation

everyone needs those 1000 liters industrial water contrainers, and use them when needed

You are welcome

I agree with you OP and the other posters talking about the greed of water companies. I am not going to water my lawn, but I have a big garden and a meadow full of bees and there is no way I am going to carry a watering can around it all. I have a water butt so water as much as I can with watering can. I won’t let my garden die. It’s a haven for insects, I have planted fruit trees this year too and it would be worse for nature if we left it to die.

Yes similar, we have no lawn, its patio but I have over 100 pots, Ive just been watering them with the hose and there is a ban here. I could hear two neighbours outside as well so someone will wonder if they can report me. But as I said upthread, I applied for an exemption, we are on the priority user list. I cant use a watering can due to my hands and I use the same amount of water as a can anyway as in the past Ive tried it that way, but rather than take half hour which is what its just taken me, it would take about an hour.

Nope. I will be having my sprinkler on every other day.

Ha for the first time in years and years we have just been told we will have a ban.

So ill top up the pool tonight and fill all my butts 😜

As I expect everyone else will as well reading the comments on the local paper. There was also a lot of they can fuck off I pay my direct debit comments. As well as all the exemptions being post.

Why are you so special?

double post