Drought

What is drought?

A drought can be defined as:

1. A long period of abnormally low rainfall, especially one that adversely affects growing or living conditions
2. A prolonged dearth or shortage

We would naturally expect to see an occasional drought after a long, hot summer but here in Sussex, we’re increasingly experiencing unseasonal droughts when not enough rain falls at the right time of year. For example, low rainfall in winter can lead to a spring drought and an early hosepipe ban.

People often ask 'how there can be a drought when it’s been raining all year?' The answer is that Sussex is unique because most (over 70%) of our drinking water is pumped out from natural underground reservoirs called aquifers. Some of these aquifers can take decades or even centuries to refill once they have been emptied, so even though it is raining now, it can take a long time for the water to filter through the ground and refill our aquifers.

The rest of our drinking water in Sussex is piped in from neighbouring counties or drawn from reservoirs such as Arlington. Reservoirs rely on healthy river flows to be able to pump water out for human consumption, and our rivers are often at low flows when we most need to pump water from them i.e. during a summer drought. Small reservoirs like Arlington hold just a few days’ supply of water, and if people are using a lot of water, this lasts even less time.

How can you help tackle drought?

You’ll be surprised to know that you can do a lot:

• More than 1 million people live in Sussex. If each person used 1 litre of water less per day, we could save over 400,000,000 litres a year
• You can save water in many different ways but things like water butts, Hippos in toilet cisterns and water efficiency devices on taps are some of the easiest
• Fixing a dripping tap or leaking cistern could save 10,000 litres of water a year
• Buy less and use less – everything we use needs water to make it. Imagine how much it costs in water to grow some lettuce, package it and transport it to be stacked in a supermarket?
• Don't use chemicals in the garden or pour chemicals down the drain. Water companies struggle to take some of these chemicals out of the water once they are in it, making water unusable in some cases
• If you want to know more about how you can help tackle drought then visit your local water company website:
  • Southern Water
  • South East Water
  • Portsmouth Water

• And there are more water saving tips on The Wildlife Trusts' website: how to conserve water

Small changes can make a big difference but beyond personal water use, we also need to see a big change to the way our water resources are managed. The current system is fragmented and we need a more joined-up approach to make sure the water environment is protected, respected and teeming with life.