South West Water Awaits Recharge Season as Wimbleball Reservoir Falls to 13% Full

South West Water is waiting for its "recharge season" to refill reservoirs, with Wimbleball in Devon at 13% full and Stithians in Cornwall at 19% as of 19 October, Yahoo reported. The company supplies water across Devon, Cornwall and parts of Dorset and Somerset, according to akta.pro company records.

South West Water's Reservoir Levels and Drought Status

The Environment Agency declared more than half of England in drought at the end of July, and on 15 October escalated parts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex to severe drought. Wimbleball supplies more than 400,000 people including Exeter.

Richard Stanbrook, the company's drought programme director, said there had been "a lot of focus" on the low reservoir levels. He said a "long, hot period" had caused levels to "drop low", adding: "We've been keeping a close eye on that, and we are assuring they stay at a level where we can continue to meet our demand for our customers."

Stanbrook said the company was planning daily and had managed reservoir extractions over the summer. On Wimbleball, he said: "We're waiting for the recharge season for when the rain comes and we've been pushing hard to make sure that lake stays at that good level until that rain comes." He said high summer demand was managed through more publicity and customer and tourist communication to use water more wisely.

South West Water's Leak Repairs and Investment Plans

South West Water has increased the number of crews in the region by 14 and repairs more than 440 leaks a week, Stanbrook said. He said a "significant increase" in pipe bursts occurred during July and August as the prolonged dry period caused the ground to move. Heavy rain is forecast with Storm Austen from Thursday, which he said the company "welcomed".

Stanbrook said the situation reflected the national picture. "If you looked at reservoirs across the country, they are low and they have suffered and all water companies are working very hard for that," he said. Asked about re-nationalisation, he said he had seen improvements including drinking water quality in about 30 years in the industry, and that the company was spending customers' money on improving waste water treatment and clean water networks. "In the next five years we've got a multi-billion-pound programme to continue to do that including significant mains replacement," he said.

Earlier Events at South West Water

On 15 October, MP Rachel Gilmore raised concerns over falling reservoir levels in Devon and Cornwall, with Wimbleball at 14.9% capacity, and South West Water introduced a hosepipe ban and considered further restrictions amid record heat, the BBC reported. On 19 October, Plymouth MP Luke Pollard warned the company that continued sewage spills could lead to public ownership, citing repeated discharges and a £7.8m fine, according to EIN Presswire.

What Comes Next for South West Water

Heavy rain is forecast with Storm Austen from Thursday, which Stanbrook said the company welcomed as it waits for the recharge season to refill reservoirs.