Every Drop Counts – Come Rain or Shine

Save water this summer

Following the Environment Agency's (EA) decision to declare half of England in drought, we're asking everyone to help use water wisely.
 
With less rainfall replenishing rivers, reservoirs and groundwater sources, and demand rising during hotter weather, water resources are coming under increasing pressure across the region.
 
The drought declaration reflects the exceptionally warm and dry conditions affecting much of the country. According to the Met Office, the UK has already experienced three heatwaves this year, with the period from March to July among the driest on record.
 
While these conditions are placing growing pressure on water resources and the environment, our water storage levels remain good across the region thanks to careful planning, investment and drought preparedness ahead of the summer season.
 
We're closely monitoring the situation, managing supplies carefully and continuing to invest in our network and water resources to help maintain resilient water supplies for our customers and communities. We are also fixing more leaks than ever before and are currently exceeding our planned targets for leak repairs, helping to reduce water loss across our network and make the best use of available water resources.

We're also continuing to invest to strengthen resilience for future dry weather.  At Bournemouth Water we are significantly investing across 2025 and 2030 to improve water services, strengthen resilience and enhance environmental performance across the region. This includes upgrading water treatment works, reducing leakage, expanding smart metering and improving connections across our water network.

Alongside investment in infrastructure, we're working in in our drinking water catchments to help protect and improve the natural environment through projects including peatland restoration, reed bed creation and our award-winning Upstream Thinking programme.

As always, water continues to be a precious resource, and prolonged dry conditions can place additional pressure on water supplies and the environment. That's why every drop still counts.
 
Simple actions at home and in the garden, such as taking shorter showers, turning off the tap while brushing your teeth and being mindful when watering plants, can make a real difference. By using water wisely, we can all help protect local rivers, wildlife and water supplies for everyone.

Every Drop Counts. Small actions. A big difference.

Frequently asked questions

Our action on water resilience

Water quality and resilience is one of our key strategic priorities. We’re tackling leaks on the network and investing so we can store more water.

Visiting Bournemouth

Demand for water goes up when there are more visitors. To ensure there is enough to go round, please only use what you need. Find out what you can do to reduce water use on your visit.