Lee Dance, head of water resources and environmental, said “We would encourage our customers to think about preparing for a dry summer, by installing water butts to collect any rain that does fall and making sure any dripping taps are fixed.”
So far the company has not used an existing drought order which lasts until 31 March.
But the company said rainfall in January stood at 50 per cent of the average and that meant the Ardingly reservoir was now just 42 per cent full.
The company also warned that more than three-quarters of the region’s drinking water comes from aquifers which fill more slowly. South East Water is concerned its underground aquifers in Sussex and Kent are still showing no real signs of re-filling, while some are approaching “severe” status in terms of levels.
Dance said: “The snow which fell at the start of February will help a bit once it has thawed, but approximately one foot of snow only produces about one inch of water, so it won’t make as much of an impact as you would think.
“The frozen ground also makes it harder for the water to soak into the underground aquifers which also store our water.
“In the absence of any prolonged periods of rainfall to bring all our water resources – both reservoirs and underground aquifers – back to normal for this time of year, we are now having to face the prospect of further measures this Spring and Summer to protect public water supplies.
“We cannot rule out the possibility that we may have to ask for further special powers to abstract more water than we usually do from rivers, and also restrict customers’ non-essential use of water with sprinklers and hosepipes.”
A radio campaign across Sussex is asking for everyone’s help to reduce demand for water and South East Water is promoting messages through its customer magazine and website.
Customers can log onto South East Water’s website for more information on water efficiency tips for the home and garden and links water saving products and discounts on water butts.