Drought in the South-East

[wotnobivvy]

Phone

 

We might only be a small island compared with you in the ex colony , but our weather is not the same in every region. We get flooded in some parts whilst other parts are bone dry. We don't have any joined up thinking as different regions are controlled by different companies. We probably have enough water for everyone, but not necessarily in the right places. There have been proposals for piplines from the wet to the dry areas, but that's all it is, talk

[Phone]

Wotnob,

 

First, I love the way I "divide" your forum name. (Patronize me as I am always extremly amused when you post and I can reply).

 

To the subject. While I have visited any number of times I don't "get it" that there can be extremes in rainfall amounts (N to S and E to W). Of course I'm sure you are right. Although "someday(?)" water distribution and usage has to become an issue. It is a renewable resourse but your population is an "expanding" number.

 

Don't get me wrong. In our American West folks are once again ready to "strap on some iron" over water. VERY touchy subject in America!!

 

Phone

[Leon Roskilly]

Phone,

 

We tend to get high rainfall in areas with low population and vice-versa.

 

As the rain water seeps through the different geology of different regions it takes on attributes of minerals and acidity as well as temperature to which the regional ecology has adapted, with different types of insect fish etc prevalent in different river systems.

 

Transporting water from where there is plenty to where it is needed is going to cost plenty, and where the 'cheapest' options envisage using existing river and canal networks, significant ecological damage.

 

Similar concerns are raised where new resevoirs are proposed, destroying river valleys and all that they contain.

 

To make matters worse, development agencies are trying to increase industry/populations in areas like the Thames corridor to the east of London with seemingly absolutely no planning as to where water resources are coming from, let alone dealing with the subsequent pollution!

 

The engineering needed is daunting and very expensive, the environmental cost prohibitive.

[Leon Roskilly]

More news:

 

http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?id...tential+drought

 

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011...isks?CMP=twt_fd

Edited December 5, 2011 by Leon Roskilly

[barry luxton]

Leon,

 

While interesting the article is not meaningful to me. I am to uninformed. Not that I'll have a great interest overall but I do like to keep up with the angling picture in the UK. The article says you are as dry as in 1976.

 

How did you get along in 1976?

 

Phone

 

Gave me loads of work.

 

With regards to the 70's i spent 25 plus years propping,underpinning, stopping house foundations and houses from collapsing, never had i seen the south east so dry with hundreds and hundreds of properties suffering clay shinkage, dessication. Even houses with 1m thick concrete foundations subsiding. Loads of families moving out of their properties from one to six months. I have never seen the conditions return to the seventies or as bad, so i treat global warming with a bit of caution. Any one got a foto of bewl bridge from the seventies and to date, as that one all but dried up.

[chesters1]

All,

 

Is the UK self sustaining for water. I mean, do you a a giant pipe from Belgium or such? Maybe via tanker? De-salinization(sp) projects?

 

Is there a "number" for the usable reserves?

 

If the water is being properly used and distributed I don't "get" Chesters1's point. That should be a function of government.

 

Phone

my point in a nutshell is if were short on water why are the EA selling licences to extract billions of gallons to water vegetables that naturally wont grow without it and watering thousands of acres of golf courses?

 

if water is short why do water companies charge us for the cheek of using it yet probably let more go to waste in broken water mains?

 

there shouldnt be any government money water is a private and extremely lucrative industry with no competition unlike gas or electricity

 

the gas and electric charge a quarterly bill for the meters they use to work out how much we use and the bloody phone company charge a line rental bill for 20p's worth of wire that goes to the nearest post!

 

we are charged if we dont use any water at all through standing charges IE if we have a pipe that is connected to the mains we pay ,if we have a sewer we pay even if we use none

the water industry is getting millions just for us to have a pipe and a sewer then they charge extra for what goes into and comes out of them

 

standing charges of any type annoy me we frequently get charged more in standing charges than in the water we use

Edited December 5, 2011 by chesters1

[Leon Roskilly]

see:

 

 

http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/s/2106373_...ht_threat_looms

[davedave]

I thought we'd had quite a bit of rain in the last month down here in somerset, not enough though i'm guessing?

[Dave H]

Here we go again get the rain gods out...LOL.

 

I think standpipes are good for a community it brings us all together in a crises just like the blitz did.

 

And don't forget we are doomed this year according to an ancient tribe thousands of years a go as their electricity got cut off and the clock was on 12 minutes past 12.

 

So it don't matter really....What a bloody waste of money that olympics was