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.

We don’t have a hosepipe ban in my area , but no I won’t be listening I pay yearly for my water I will use it as I like . Maybe they should fix all the leaks if they want to save water

i'll comply when they fix their leaks - for my water company they lose the equivalent of a million households use of water each day

Is that supposed to be funny?

I was unaware that food crops are exempt! Very useful to know! Thank you!

I am a South East Water customer in Kent and your dates are wrong. We've had a hosepipe ban here since 26 June, enforceable from 3 July - just a couple of weeks after the hot weather started.

We were informed that the hosepipe ban was not due to a lack of water. SEW admitted that the reservoirs were full after a very wet winter and lots of early spring rain.

Apparently the water shortage was because we inconvenient people were demanding lots of water at the same time when it suddenly became hot, and the SEW drinking water treatment facilities couldn't cope with the extra demand.

Before the hosepipe ban even started they were deliberately reducing and even completely switching off water supplies to villages in my area and supplying bottled water instead.

So in other words SEW have been paying loads of money to their shareholders without investing anything in their infrastructure.

Yes I will comply with the ban, but it's really difficult lugging heavy watering cans around at my age, and I actually think that I am using more water using this method to water my pots than I did with the hose.

I have dyslexia so yes I thought that was funny because I assume it doesn't count.

Yes, I draw the line at not flushing the loo.

I was 7 in 1976 when we had a standpipe in the street. I spent evenings that summer with my little sister, collecting water from the local stream in our seaside buckets, to use to flush the loo. 😊

Don't worry, the endless grey, rainy days will soon be back. 😉 We had months of endless rain, flooding everywhere but the moment the sun comes out its hosepipe ban season.
I remember as a teenager in the early 80s being told that we would have Mediterranean style gardens before 2000 because there wouldn't be much rain. For 8 months a year my garden resembles a swamp!
Yes, by all means we should preserve our natural resources, but then we can't argue for greater building requirements, immigration that requires more building, and all the associated land requisition. We need to use the resources we have more efficiently, keep flood plains managed, water companies need to actually do what is required, not looking at profit! They are there to supply water, not make a few rich!.

"The water companies are just worried about having to supply what we need because it will impact their environmental targets"

Sorry, you're pissed off water companies are trying to meet their environmental targets!?! They're there to protect the environment!!!

Fuck the environment I want my hose pipe? Wah wah wah!! 🙄

You asked about pensions and I gave you an honest answer. You absolutely can make sure your pension is invested the way you want if it's important to you. You need to have a Google and talk to your provider. I can't reasonably help you beyond that.

I'm not sure if data centres have been mentioned (I'm just too hot and tired to read through four pages) but a large data centre for mainly AI uses a tremendous amount of water. Up to 5 million gallons a day.

Hope they're on water meteres

Yes, i will comply. I was living in Cape Town 10 years ago when it got days away from water rationing. People were getting into fist fights in supermarkets over bottled water.

I have a 400 litre tank on the side of the house to collect rainwater, and an 80 litre water butt collecting rainwater from the roof of the garden shed. They were full a few weeks ago after the thunder storms, they are empty now.

The small lawn hasn't been mowed and will survive. Most of the garden is well established shrubs and flowers that shrug off temporary drought. I will water the veg in the greenhouse and raised bed with a watering can.

My aim is to not use tap water on the garden, and I haven't up until now. I need to think about what I can add to collect rain water or grey water.

Whatever the water companies do or don't do, my aim is not to use tap water on the garden, for financial and environmental reasons. This weather is only going to get worse.

I live near Cambridge and yes the area is often short of water and has been for years.

i don’t use a hosepipe anyway.

can anyone offer advice on a water butt? Is it as simple as just buy one or do they come in different types?

I don't agree with a per capita cap on water use.
Any usage caps on data centres?

Furthermore:
www.techradar.com/pro/a-very-very-unpleasant-surprise-meta-forced-to-halt-data-center-water-discharges-after-polluting-citys-water-reclamation-system-with-resistant-bacterium-shutdown-and-cleaning-of-two-water-reclamation-plants-expected-to-last-months

It was just published that the CEO of one of the water companies ( can't remember which) had a bonus of a couple of hundred K.

We've got a wildflower areas for the bees and grow lots of fruit and veg, it's not viable to not hose. I've seen a lot of butterflies this year as my flowers are doing well.

As others may have said...you'd rather water runs out ...as it has once in the South East already this year, or water be extracted from our rivers??

Maybe your outrage could be channelled to demanding investment from those water companies / stopping ridiculous executive bonuses etc...? Technologies to store water etc..

There are lots of water campaign groups

Yorkshire Water over £600,000 additional bonus ...it's appalling

The hot lines will be full of people reporting people for using hoses that are attached to their butts or containers though.

Are you on a water meter?

You tend to get skinny ones or fat ones. They hold different amounts of water but if you are short on space the skinny ones are good. You could get an IBC tank if you really wanted to.

Then you just by a drain pipe attachment kit.

A basic water butt sits beside your gutter downpipe. It sends rain from your roof & gutters into the water butt until it is full and then overflows back down your downpipe into the drain.

You can buy a kit at any DIY shop or order online. You'll also need a hacksaw to cut the pipes to length and some gutter sealant. Or ask your plumber to fit it for you.

So you think this is more important than drinking water for those who are posting who have had supply issues?

And you're right I'm not going to read them. I can never be convinced using wholesome drinking water should prioritised watering trees rather than ensuring humans have access to water to live when they need it.

i usually fill my watering cans with my hosepipe, is that allowed?

Yes that will be allowed because the watering can is controlling how much you actually use.

Really surprised at the poll results. Baffles me how so many still aren't angry enough at the water companies, and what is in fact a national scandal and criminal in some cases. We all know what they pay themselves, the decay and disrepair, the raw sewage pumped into our waters, the astronomic bills everyone pays.. Yet still such apathy.

YANBU OP. doesn't affect me but damn right I would still use my hose pipe!