There has been ‘a very encouraging step in the right direction’
Storm Claudia led to big increases in water levels in Yorkshire’s reservoirs and Hull aquifer – but the region is still officially in drought. Household usage restrictions have been in place since July following months of low rainfall though water supplies have been rebounding in recent weeks thanks to the arrival of much-needed downpours.
After Storm Amy hit the region in early October, reservoir stocks increased from 46.9 per cent to 52.9 per cent within a week. Yorkshire Water have now confirmed Storm Claudia and other rainfall over the last seven days has seen levels achieve a “record-breaking increase” of 15 per cent.
Reservoirs in the region are now at 80.5 per cent, up from 65.3 per cent just a week earlier. Meanwhile, Hull aquifer levels are at 46.6 per cent, up from 38.2 per cent.
Yorkshire Water says its recovery plan is now “well on track” with drought permits still in place across the region to boost reservoir levels. The varied rainfall across the region in recent weeks means that, while some reservoirs are now full, others remain below 60 per cent.
Dave Kaye, director of water services at Yorkshire Water, said: “The impact of Storm Claudia over the weekend, and our continued drought permit activity, has led to another record-breaking uplift of reservoir levels. Whilst nine weeks of positive recovery does not entirely make up for the shortfall left by 28 weeks of decline due to the driest spring and summer on record in the region, it represents a very encouraging step in the right direction.
“We continue to see varied levels of recovery across the region, and we are working hard to balance those supplies and move water around via our grid network, but in some cases, this is not possible, and those reservoirs need to recover naturally through rainfall.
“Whilst our recovery plan is on track, Yorkshire remains in official drought status. Recent Environment Agency reports indicate that lower than average rainfall over winter would result in continued drought and risks to water supplies next year, so we need to continue managing our resources very carefully.
“That being said, when we introduced the restrictions in July, we said we would remove them as soon as resources recovered, and that aim has not changed. In the meantime, we would like to thank customers in their efforts to stick to the temporary restrictions and those taking steps to conserve water resources.”
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