Hosepipe ban stays for Veolia customers

Jun 13 2012 By Alan Hayes

veolia

THE hosepipe ban will not be lifted by Veolia Water, meaning people in the borough must still only water gardens and wash cars and the like by hand.

In a statement today (Wednesday), the company said although heavy rain in April and May has started to refill underground aquifers, they are still a long way from normal for the time of year.

However, the restrictions on some businesses will be relaxed, and details can be found at www.veoliawater.co.uk

Mike Pocock, the company's water resources manager, said: "Following the unusually dry weather we have experienced over the 24-month period prior to April this year, we will need prolonged and substantial rainfall over a longer period to recharge our aquifers and to move us out of a drought situation."

On the one hand, anyone wanting a sunny summer will hope this does not come about. On the other hand, the weather looks like it might have its own ideas and we could be in for a soggy summer anyway.

Veolia's statement says some of the other water companies which have bans in place have substantial surface water resources, such as rivers, to draw on, which have mostly returned to normal levels.

It continues: "We have seen only a small top up from the rainfall we have experienced since April, as most of this is lost to plant growth, evaporation or run off to rivers between April and September. The critical period for recharging our aquifers is between October and March each year."