Sheffield drought: End in sight for hosepipe ban as Yorkshire Water issues update on reservoirs
Bosses at Yorkshire Water say the end is in sight for Sheffield’s hosepipe ban, after recent rainfall in the city.
Bosses say the company is is taking steps to remove its drought permits, following a 10th week of increases to its reservoir levels.
Heavy rain over the last seven days has seen water levels in the region’s reservoirs rise to 84.6 per cent full, compared to 80.5 per cent the previous week.
It follows a 15 per cent increase as a result of rain brought by Storm Claudia.
Yorkshire Water says its removal of drought permits will enable it to lift hosepipe restrictions earlier than initially thought. The ban has been in place since Friday, July 11, and officials said at the time it could last into the winter, depending on rainfall.
Dave Kaye, director of water and wastewater services at Yorkshire Water, said: “We’re now confident that we’re moving into a healthy position across our reservoirs, rivers, and groundwater water sources, after seeing further rainfall over the last seven days, and another significant jump in our reservoir levels.
“Restrictions are still in place for the time being, but we are working to lift them as soon as possible, hopefully within the next few weeks. This is earlier than we had originally thought possible, and it’s thanks to the water-saving actions of people in Yorkshire that we’re able to pull it forward.
“We’re now working with the Environment Agency to reduce the measures we’d put in place to manage our water resources differently during the drought - a step we have to take before restrictions can be lifted. This can take a number of weeks, but we will not keep the restrictions in place any longer than is necessary. “
He said the company would continue to monitor water levels and manage them carefully, and has issued a thanks you to its for their efforts to save water throughout the restrictions.