Could the UK ever run out of water?
Half of England and all of Wales are officially in drought. But what does this mean and could the UKâs taps eventually run dry? What
Half of England and all of Wales are officially in drought. But what does this mean and could the UKâs taps eventually run dry? What does it mean to be in drought? There is no single definition of drought and every drought is different. But they are all characterised by a prolonged period of low rainfall creating a shortage of water. Some droughts are short and intense, like the recent âflash droughtâ declared across half of England, which developed quickly because of unusually low rainfall and high temperatures. Others can take a long time to develop over multiple seasons due to prolonged low rainfall. What are the drought conditions like this summer? Helen Wakeham, the chair of the Drought Group, said this yearâs drought was âexceptionally seriousâ and would have long-lasting impacts on the environment and the economy. In July, England received 7% of the long-term average rainfall, making it the driest July since records began almost two centuries ago. View image in fullscreen A dried-up pond in Falmer, East Sussex. Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images There was also a record-breaking drought in 2022, which affected large parts of the country and was the worst in some areas since the infamous drought of 1976. But isnât the UK famously rainy? Yes, the UK does have a global reputation for its wet weather and we did see particularly heavy rain in the first half of the year. While winter rainfall can help to replenish reservoirs and groundwater, summers are becoming exceptionally hot and dry. Combined with climate-induced heatwaves, we are using water faster than nature can replenish it. Drought is only over when river, groundwater and reservoir levels are back to normal, and this can take time. A key issue is also storing water during times of plenty. The UK has not built a new reservoir since 1992. The Farmersâ Union is calling on the government to streamline the planning system to make it quicker and easier for farmers to build on-farm water storage systems. Additionally, research by Greenpeace UK found that 2.87bn litres of water a day is wasted by water companies through leaky pipes in England and Wales â enough to fill 1,150 Olympic-sized swimming pools and amounting to a fifth of all water pumped through the network.
Where do water companies get the water? Most of the water comes from lakes, reservoirs and rivers. This is then pumped to water treatment plants before being directed to homes. The amount of water that companies can take is controlled by environmental regulators. During times of drought, water companies can use drought permits and drought orders to take more water. Last year Southern Water applied for a drought order that allowed it to draw water from an internationally prized chalk stream and rare salmon habitat. Do only water companies take water from the environment? No, water companies are not the only ones taking water from the environment. Agriculture, power generation, manufacturing, fish farms and golf courses are all big users of water. View image in fullscreen Maize is watered in a field in Shropshire on 5 August 2026. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images Analysis by the Ends Report revealed 47bn kilolitres (kl) of water was extracted from the environment in 2023. Electricity generation took 26bn kl, public water supply took 9.2bn kl and agriculture took 2bn kl. Why is the UK running out of water? The Environment Agency has estimated Englandâs public water supply could be short by 5bn litres a day by 2055 without urgent action to future-proof resources. Water demand is going up as the population grows and new industrial demands from datacentres and energy infrastructure require more water. Plus, the water available to supply those needs is going down as the effects of the climate crisis kick in, and we have greater variability and unpredictability of rainfall and greater water demand during hotter, drier summers. There has also been a lack of investment over several decades in fixing leaks and building new reservoirs. Isnât there also a water quality crisis? Yes, the UK has a serious problem with water pollution. Recent government data revealed that every single English water body is polluted with toxic chemicals, while just 14.3% of surface waters achieved good ecological status. Do people in the UK use more water than elsewhere? The Consumer Council for Water has estimated the average person in the UK uses 139 litres of water a day.
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