SEVERN Trent has produced an extra 400million litres of water a day since Tuesday to help keep the Midlands hydrated during the heatwave, writes Elena Pereslucha.
Temperatures have risen to above 35°C today (Thursday) and the company said it was producing around 20 per cent more water than usual – enough to supply almost 3million people.
World Cup impact
As people are up later enjoying the World Cup matches, the company has noticed that more water is being used late into the evening as people prepare for bed, water their plants and do more tasks at home when the weather is cooler.
An increased use of paddling pools, schools closing or finishing earlier has added to the burden on supplies.
People are being urged to cover any paddling pools instead of refilling them and then use the water on their plants and flowers when finished.
Overall, people are being urged to think very carefully about their use of water during these extreme temperatures.
Doug Clarke, Water Resources Lead at Severn Trent said: “‘Covering the pool and using a bucket to rinse feet instead of a tap are both simple ways to make the most of the water.”
Severn Trent has teams ready to respond quickly to any network issues, supported by a fleet of nearly 100 tankers if needed.
They said reservoirs were currently just under 90 per cent full, with water taking around 12 hours to treat and supply to customers’ homes for them to enjoy it.
Mr Clarke added: “This is the type of weather my teams plan for all year round, and we’re producing record amounts of water to help keep the Midlands hydrated during the heat.”
And he added when it next rained and wetter weather returned, gardens would bounce back quickly.
Mr Clarke added a lot of water was being used quickly but the company was working hard to meet the demand so people can keep safely hydrated and cool in the heat.
“Water is so precious, and heatwaves like this highlight it’s importance of making sure people have what they need to keep cool, and hydrated.”
