Southern Water has been granted a “precautionary” drought permit by the Environment Agency to help refill the Bewl Water reservoir – the largest stretch of open water in the South East of England.
The permit, which was granted on 17 January, will allow the water company to continue pumping water from the River Medway into Bewl when the river has lower flows than Southern Water’s usual permit to take water would allow.
Water levels at Bewl fell below 33 per cent of its maximum 31,000 million litres capacity in November 2017 following a “very dry” winter in 2016 and “very low” rainfall in September, October and November 2017.
The application was submitted to the Environment Agency on 5 January, and was the first time Southern has had to apply for a drought permit since 2012.
Southern Water said the reservoir has now reached 52.5 per cent full and it aims to increase Bewl’s water level to 75 per cent by 1 April.
The company said: “As pumping water into the Bewl is part of the normal winter refill activity, we will only need to use the permit should we continue to receive lower than average rainfall to the end of March 2018.”
It explained the granting of the permit “does not mean” temporary use bans, such as restrictions on hosepipes, are being imposed in any area.
“By taking action now it is hoped there will be no need to bring in restriction during the spring and summer,” the company said.
Dr Alison Hoyle, director of asset resilience and compliance at Southern Water, said: “We will now work closely with the Environment Agency and other stakeholders to ensure Bewl is refilled in a sustainable way.
“To ensure healthy levels not just in our reservoirs but also groundwater supplies we continue to need good rainfall. We also hope our customers will continue their excellent habits in saving water.”
In determining the drought permit application, the Environment Agency said it had considered the very low rainfall, the impact this has had on water supplies, as well as the responses to the public consultation.
Julie Foley, area director, Environment Agency, said: “Although it has been wet over the past few weeks, overall this winter across south east England there has been lower than average amounts of rain. Consequently, we now need above average rainfall for the remainder of the winter to replenish our water resources.
“The Environment Agency has to balance the water needs of people, businesses and wildlife so we have carefully considered Southern Water’s application. We have decided to grant this temporary change to the existing licence, helping the company to refill the reservoir at a time of year when there will be less impact on the environment. We will carefully monitor any effects and take action if needed to ensure the environment is protected.
“We encourage people to follow advice from their water company about saving water. Using water efficiently will help ensure we have enough water for people, businesses and the environment.”
The reservoir in Lamberhurst, near Tunbridge Wells provides water to hundreds of thousands of people across Kent and East Sussex.