News0 min ago
The Water Shortage
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.water falling at the moment is sucked up by trees and plants that are growing. If it falls in winter, the water companies have less competition; but the winters recently have been dry. But the water companies are hopelessly inefficient, and they expect us to pay for their incompetence.
However, after a week of everyone letting all their water run away, I won't be getting on the tube without a clothespeg on my nose...
Not all the water companies have big leak problems.
United Utilities are bad and Thames Water are diabolical.
Thames (the worst offender) looses 100 million litres a day - enough for a million people but serves 13 million people.
If they plugged every single leak they'd have just 7% more water
So I have to disagree with Kathyan
In fact overall the water industry lost 151 litres per person per day 2004/5 compared to 228 1994/5.
I think in another thread It was pointed out how ridiculous it is that we flush out toilets with drinking water from the mains.
If all new houses over a certain size had to be fitted with rainwater harvesting for toilets and washing machines etc. it might start to make a difference.
I don't think Calgon would be very pleased though!
Also the 151 litre per day figure you quote is actually per property not person.
http://www.ofwat.gov.uk/aptrix/ofwat/publish.nsf/Content/stats_on_leakage