Record Drought Throws Wet Towel on U.K.'s Soggy Image

James Owen in London
for National Geographic News

March 29, 2006

When it comes to the weather, England has a grey and damp reputation.
Yet millions of British residents are now facing emergency drought
measures, and summer is still months away.

Authorities warn that parts of England are desperately short of water following the driest 16-month period in more than 70 years, including two winters of unusually low rainfall.

The Environment Agency, a government environment-protection body, warns that the coming summer could see one of the worst droughts in a century.

The agency says that in many areas underground water reserves and river flows are at their lowest levels on record for this time of year.

This summer London and southeast England are expected to be hit hardest, as average rainfall is surprisingly low for a region known for its lush lawns and leaden skies.

Today the U.K.'s densely populated southeast area has almost five times less water available per person than Sudan (see map) in sub-Saharan Africa, according to Environment Agency figures.

From Cities to Wetlands

Utility firm Thames Water, which services some eight million customers in the southeast region, announced that it is imposing water restrictions for the first time in 15 years.

"Did you know that London receives less rainfall than Istanbul [Turkey], Rome [Italy], and Dallas [Texas]?" Jeremy Pelczer, chief executive of Thames Water, wrote in a letter explaining the need for the restrictions.

From the start of April, residents across southeast England will be banned from using hoses or sprinklers to water their gardens or wash their cars.

Residents are also being urged to cut back on water use by hand-washing dishes, taking showers instead of baths, and turning off the tap while brushing their teeth.

Water companies have appealed to the U.K. government to impose additional restrictions that would prevent watering parks and sports fields or filling swimming pools.

Local councils, which among other tasks are in charge of beautifying public sites in many villages and towns, are considering planting silk and plastic flowers or desert plants such as cactuses instead of thirstier varieties.

Meanwhile, experts fear that many wild plants and animals could succumb to the drought.

The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) says that drought-sensitive trees, such as beech and birch, may die during the summer, particularly younger trees with less well-established root systems.

Debbie Wicks, conservation manager with the Hampshire Wildlife Trust, says that wetlands—which support declining populations of wading birds such as snipe and redshank—are drying out.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Europe's largest wildlife conservation charity, warns that some of its wetland reserves in the southeast are now so parched that many resident species may not breed at all this year.

Atlantic salmon also will be at risk as river sources run dry, says CEH ecologist Mike Morecroft. (Related photos: wild vs. farmed Atlantic salmon.)

"[During droughts] young salmon get forced out of small feeder streams into the big rivers, where they are much more susceptible to predators," he said.

River Ecology

Many rivers in southern England are fed by underground chalk aquifers. These so-called chalk rivers are extremely rich in aquatic life.

The majority has been granted protected status, including some that are labeled Special Areas of Conservation, a designation reserved for Europe's rarest and most vulnerable habitats.

But the aquifers are vulnerable to groundwater extraction as water companies tap into their underground reserves.

"Usually the aquifers are replenished during the winter, but we are starting the spring and summer with much lower levels than normal," Wicks, of the Hampshire Wildlife Trust, said.

As their sources are depleted, river flows run low, which can lead to higher water temperatures and reduced oxygen levels.

Such conditions were blamed for salmon failing to migrate up rivers in southern England last summer, following the previous dry winter.

Wicks says low river flows affect the entire ecology of chalk rivers, from aquatic plants to otters.

"These rivers are beautiful, but fragile, and you can see they are teetering on the brink with this drought," she said.

With about 70 percent of domestic and industrial water supplies in the south of the country coming from underground water reserves, Wicks says, alternative sources need to be developed.

New reservoirs and coastal desalination plants—facilities that extract salt from seawater to create fresh water—are two options, she says.

Wicks also recommends that water meters be installed in all homes, so consumers could be billed by volume rather than paying a standard rate.

"Water metering is definitely a way to make people aware of how much water they're using," she said. "People tend to use less when they are on a meter."

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