No butts
by Simon Handby in At home on 27.07.07
They say make hay while the sun shines, but there hasn’t been much of it about this summer. Last winter’s wettest five months since 1914 had already guaranteed that there wouldn’t be a repeat of last summer’s hosepipe ban. After two periods of severe flooding causing billions of pounds of damage, it’s now distant, almost surreal memory.
Figures from the Met Office show that by 22 July, the three months from May to July were already the wettest in England and Wales since records began in 1766. While a grim harvest update from the National Farmers’ Union confirms that it’s unlikely to be a bumper year for hay, the prolonged above-average rainfall means that most of the country’s reservoirs are at least above their normal level.
This BBC News article points out the potential role of rainwater storage in reducing groundwater flooding, and in eking out the most from the rain that falls. The simplest domestic systems can store enough of the water gathered by your home’s guttering for car washing and watering the garden. Larger, more sophisticated systems can collect water from driveways and other paved areas, and can even supply rainwater for flushing toilets or doing the washing.
Although in some drier parts of the world you can get a grant to install rainwater harvesting, we couldn’t find one available in the UK. We asked DEFRA, who told us: “There are no grants for householders, but businesses can get enhanced capital allowances for water efficient technology.”
The Environment Agency says that some rivers and reservoirs are still only at their average level or lower, but the Met Office is forecasting above-average rain for the next couple of weeks. Anyone worried about further severe weather this summer can subscribe to their useful news feed.
IMAGE by Flickr user gluemoon
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