Six weeks supply left in reservoir, says water firm

Water levels at Ardingly Reservoir, pictured in September, are currently at 32.4%

A reservoir in West Sussex has six weeks' worth of water left following extended spells of warm and dry weather, a water company has said.

Despite recent rainfall, South East Water (SEW) said water levels at Ardingly Reservoir are at about 30% after England experienced its driest spring since 1893, according to the Met Office.

The reservoir supplies drinking water for tens of thousands of residents in the Haywards Heath area.

It comes after a temporary hosepipe and sprinkler ban was put in place for more than 1.4 million residents across Kent and parts of Sussex in July.

The water firm said it had experienced record demand for water during the summer.

On a single day in June, water usage reached 680 million litres – 105 million litres a day more than the summer average, it said.

SEW said it had been permitted by the Environment Agency to refill the reservoir from the River Ouse, though current levels in the river are too low to allow extraction.

Nick Price, SEW's head of water resources, said that without rainfall, only enough usable water for six weeks was left in the reservoir.

He said that the water supplier was "taking action to make sure there's enough water for customers".

"We hope that there will be some rain," Mr Price added.

Concerns have also been raised that early extraction from the River Ouse could damage wildlife and reduce water quality.

Rachel Paget, operations manager at the Ouse and Adur Rivers Trust, said "drought causes serious problems for our rivers".

She warned that low-flow conditions could mean pollutants become concentrated and oxygen levels drop to dangerous levels for fish.

SEW said there would be minimal impact on the water environment and wildlife.

SEW's head of water resources Nick Price said the water firm would take further action in needed

Every winter, SEW pumps water from the River Ouse into the reservoir to replenish stocks – a process that usually begins in November.

However, the Environment Agency has this year allowed the company to draw river water a month earlier than normal over concerns that no significant rainfall was forecast.

In 2022, water levels at the Ardingly Reservoir fell to similarly low levels. In 2012, levels fell to 12%.

A permit to extract river water was also issued at the time.

Ardingly Reservoir has experienced similarly low levels before

In 2022 and 2012, a wet autumn saw the reservoir replenish quickly after rainfall increased the flow of the River Ouse and enabled extraction into the reservoir.

SEW said that it continued to monitor the situation and would keep its customers updated.