Severe drought declared for parts of Devon as reservoir levels plunge
The government has declared severe drought status over a large chunk of Devon and urged people to save water as some reservoirs have dropped as low as 15 per cent
Severe drought status has been declared for parts of Devon including Exeter, Mid Devon and much of Torbay.
Making the announcement yesterday (Thursday, October 15) the government said water companies must step up drought planning measures.
While most of North Devon and Torridge are not yet under the severe drought warning, as well as a considerable portion of Devon the status has also been applied to parts of Cornwall, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex.
It comes as all reservoirs in the region are well below 50 per cent capacity, with Wimbleball – which serves Exeter – down to 15 per cent and Torbay’s supply from Tottiford down to 17 per cent.
The government is implementing a series of measures to protect water supplies.
These include instructing water companies to carry out daily monitoring of reservoir and river levels and tougher water quality monitoring.
The Environment Agency will increase checks on businesses that withdraw water from natural sources to ensure they are only taking permitted quantities of water.
Plus Local Resilience Forums will be stood up to enable quick and effective development of support if required.
The Environment Agency has also been told to prioritise public water supplies if there is an “unavoidable trade off” between normal environmental rules and supply needs.
Environment secretary Dame Angela Eagle said on Thursday: “This level of drought is something we have not experienced for decades, so this government is stepping up our support and planning.
“We are working closely with water companies to protect public supplies in the areas affected and I’d continue to urge everyone to think about how they can use water wisely over the coming weeks.
“Our strengthened Water Bill is all about taking back public control of our water companies. We are at the start of a decade-long journey to a very different water system, including nine new major reservoirs to secure supplies.”
But Devon County Council leader Julian Brazil has been highly critical of South West Water and said the crisis “had been decades in the making.”
In a statement issued today he said: “South West Water’s neglect has put us here. The company has paid out millions in dividends to shareholders and not built the reservoirs Devon’s people and businesses deserved.
“The Prime Minister has promised to hold the private water companies to account. We intend to do precisely that.
“From its own deep pockets, South West Water must fund a huge communications campaign to conserve water, cut leakage, bring forward plans for new reservoirs and make sure it is keeping every customer, business and public body fully informed so we can to do what we can to help.
“It is vital now everyone across Devon does their best to conserve water to avoid restrictions which may severely affect our economy and everyday lives across a large part of the county. Simple steps such as using a water butt in the garden and not letting taps run can make a difference.
“As a council we will be doing all we can to save water while still delivering vital public services but we cannot allow South West Water to fail again and will be holding them to account in the months to come.”
A statement from South West Water said: “Reservoir levels are dropping because water resources are being used faster than they’re replaced by rainfall.
“We’re doing all we can to address the situation, including managing the network and fixing more leaks. However, we also need customers to use less water to help reservoir levels recover in this critical phase of the drought. Every Drop Counts – small changes make a big difference.”
Devon residents can see if their home falls within the severe drought area by checking online at https://www.southwestwater.co.uk/environment/water-resources/severe-drought