Tag Archive for 'United Kingdom'

Drought risks killing off British wildlife

Published on 03/19/2012 in drought and peak water. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Wildlife ranging from dragonflies to water voles will be severely hit if the drought gripping parts of England continues, the Environment Agency has warned

Retrieved from: The Telegraph

“Following the driest 18 months on record for some parts of the country, streams and rivers are drying up leaving insects, fish, mammals and amphibians fighting for survival.

Newly hatched tadpoles of frogs, toads and newts are under threat while wading birds such as snipe, curlew and lapwings will suffer from a lack of moist soils in which to find food such as worms for themselves and their young.

In drought-affected areas, some streams, ponds and shallow lakes are likely to dry up before aquatic insects such as dragonflies have taken wing, which will cause them to perish, experts claim.

“The Environment Agency warned that many species have declined in much of England in recent years and the drought could sound the death knell in some smaller breeding sites.

Forest fires will be of increasing concern in the English countryside, the agency said, while some trees including beech and birch could die off in the face of the drought.”

Read more: The Telegraph

Sami Oueida

Olympics kept from going brown by watering cans and recycled sewage water

Published on 03/19/2012 in drought, graywater, peak water, wastewater and water shortage. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

Retrieved from: The Telegraph

“Gardeners are also preparing to use “grey water” – domestic waste water – to help irrigate the million square meters of meadows, wetland and woods at the East London site.

The emergency measures are being drawn up ahead of Thames Water’s hosepipe ban, which comes into force on April 5 as the worst drought in 30 years spreads across England.

“But the gardens around the main events, which are meant to provide an attractive backdrop for athletes and spectators, may be badly affected by the drought.

Soil moisture levels in areas of the South East of England are now lower than the spring before 1976 when most gardens and parks went brown.

“The Olympic “ecological park” is supposed to bring back wildlife to the area. But the Environment Agency has warned that birds, frogs and dragonflies will struggle to survive this summer without enough water.”

Read more: The Telegraph

Sami Oueida

Water firms banning hosepipes lose 300m gallons a day in leaks

Published on 03/19/2012 in drought, management, peak water, policy and water conservation. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

Photo retrieved from: Daily Mail online

“The seven water firms due to impose hosepipe bans are losing almost 300million gallons a day through leaks.

The huge volume disappearing down the drain would be enough to supply the daily needs of 11million people.

Two of the biggest companies involved, Anglian and Southern, are introducing rationing despite the fact they have missed official leak reduction targets.

Consumers will be angry that companies are imposing restrictions backed by a £1,000 fine before they meet their own obligations to save water.

Between them, the seven companies are wasting 286million gallons or 1,299.2million litres of treated water every day, the equivalent to 520 Olympic-size swimming pools.”

Read more: Daily Mail

Sami Oueida

Soak the English: Welsh want paying for any water piped across the border

Published on 02/29/2012 in drought, management, peak water, policy and water shortage. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Celyn Dam

Retrieved from: The Guardian

“He said he did not object to water being moved from Wales to England. “I see no reason why that should not happen as we are rich in that resource in Wales.”

But he added: “I think there should be adequate and reasonable recompense for that provision. I’m not talking of an Opec situation when come sudden droughts to England we get the guns out and say you’ve got to pay twice or three times more. Just a reasonable return on what is being delivered.

“Llwyd’s comments come at a time when the worst drought to grip the UK in more than 30 years is already threatening wildlife and farmers’ livelihoods.

Widespread hosepipe bans are likely even before spring has begun. Stretches of south-east England have been declared to be officially in drought and other areas are considered “at risk”.

“He quoted figures from Welsh Water (Dwr Cymru) that the country’s reservoirs are 98% full, adding: “I believe that we are witnessing the renaissance of a resource, and it falls on all of us here and the Welsh government to do what we can to ensure that we really do capitalise on the most important resource of all.” ”

Read more: The Guardian

Sami Oueida

Farmers warn food prices could go up because of drought

Published on 02/22/2012 in agriculture, drought, hydrology, management, peak water, policy, water shortage, water technology and world water supply. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

A combine harvester making it's way along a field of wheat in East Norton in Leicestershire. Farm, agriculture, farming, drought, British farming

Photo retrieved from: The Telegraph

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Peter Kendall, President of the National Farmers Union, said ongoing drought in the South East and Anglia, the “bread basket of Britain”, will cut yields and force up prices.

“As sure as night follows day if it doesn’t rain, food prices will go up. I can guarantee you that,” he said. “If there is less water across bigger areas of northern Europe food will cost more money.”

Drought-afflicted areas need 120 per cent of normal rainfall between now and March to avoid drought but the Met Office is forecasting a dry period.

“Mr Kendall said in the past, when the UK relied on imported food, farmers were ignored during a drought. For example golf courses would continue to be watered – but farmers banned from irrigating crops.”

Read more: The Telegraph

Sami Oueida

Giving an invasive water pest the bullet

Published on 02/03/2012 in invasive species, policy, water filtering and water technology. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , .

David Aldridge and a handful of zebra mussels

Photo retrieved from: BBC News

“An invasive species, the zebra mussel clogs up water works and systems across the UK, costing millions of pounds each year to remove.

“With each female zebra mussel able to produce up to a million eggs per year, serious infestations can quickly form.

“Thankfully a Cambridge-based company called Biobullets has come up with a much easier – and cheaper – means of removing them. A method that owes much to the ancient Greeks and their Trojan horse.

“The toxin in question, potassium chloride, is safe to use in the water supply system as anything that is not eaten by the zebra mussels degrades in less than three hours.”

Read more: BBC News

Sami Oueida

Flooding and water scarcity ranked as top threat for UK

Published on 01/27/2012 in climate change, drought, floods and water shortage. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

Retrieved from: edieWater

“Water scarcity and flooding is likely to become the main problem for the UK in the future, which will need to adapt to increase its reliance, was the stark warning from the first comprehensive climate change risk study.

“As part of the assessment, 700 potential climate change impacts were investigated, with flooding ranked as the worst risk for the UK, closely followed by water shortages, soil erosion and prolonged heatwaves.

Flood risk is projected to increase significantly across the UK, with analysis for England and Wales showing unless plans to adapt to changing risks are implemented, that by the 2080s climate change and population growth could see damages to buildings and property reach between £2.1bn – £12bn, compared to current costs of £1.2bn.

Water quality is also predicted to be affected, as it depends on water volume and river flows to dilute pollutants. This, states the report is likely to increase water treatment costs and damage the local ecosystem.

“The CCRA also predicts increasing pressure on the UK’s water resources and warns that without action to improve water resources there could be major supply shortages by the 2050s in parts of the north, south and east of England, with the Thames River basin predicted to take the brunt of the drought.”

Read more: edieWater

Sami Oueida