Home  FAQs   Contact us  |  Work in your area  | FAQs | Home
Search     

FAQs
     
 
     
   
     
Drought FAQs
What is the current water supply situation in Cambridge Water's area?
We have just experienced our second successive dry winter. All the water we supply comes from boreholes, and we rely on winter rainfall to replenish the underground aquifer. The low levels of rainfall over the past 17 months have meant that borehole levels are now very low, but not yet critical.
Will you be enforcing a hosepipe ban, like other water companies in the south-east?
We have no plans to introduce a hosepipe and sprinkler ban at present, but we may have to do so later in the year if the situation does not improve.
What are the prospects for next year if we get another dry winter?
We will continue to invoke our drought plan, which consists of a series of measures to curb demands (such as hosepipe bans), and increase supplies (such as upgrading existing sources to make full use of abstraction licences).
Why not build a national water grid to move water from the wet north-west to the dry south-east?
Water is heavy, and the costs of pumping large quantities over large distances, together with the costs of providing the necessary infrastructure - pipelines, pumping stations, etc - are prohibitive.
What about the thousands of new homes that are planned to be built in the area over the next 15 years - surely that will make the situation worse?
Under normal circumstances Cambridge Water has sufficient resources to meet the planned growth in the area for the next 25 years. Droughts are abnormal events which may lead to temporary shortages, but they will not influence the long-term security of supply for our customers.
Why don't you install more water meters?
56% of billed households in our area are already metered: this is a much higher percentage than in most other water companies, and is forecast to increase to 85% over the next 20 years as all new homes continue to be fitted with water meters, and unmeasured customers voluntarily switch to meters.
What are commercial customers doing to conserve water?
All large commercial users are metered, and already have heavy incentives to reduce their demands. Their usage patterns also tend to be uniform - we are focusing on reducing peak demands.
What is Cambridge Water doing to reduce the leakage from its own mains?
We have been set a very demanding leakage target by our regulator, Ofwat. We are making a substantial investment in monitoring our network and repairing leaks as soon as they occur, and in replacing old mains that have come to the end of their useful life.
What can I do to save water?
You can help us to manage the drought by "using water wisely": our website www.cambridge-water.co.uk contains top tips for saving water. You can also ring us on 01223 70 60 50 to report suspected leaks.


 Legal notice  |  Privacy statement