Where our water comes from
Our water comes from underground sources, known as groundwater, as well as directly from rivers and reservoirs. Periods of low rainfall directly impact the amount of water we can take out of rivers. Groundwater is slower to react to periods of dry weather, but we still rely on the usually wetter winter periods to make sure these sources are replenished.

How much water is used each week
Take a look at the graph below to see the average amount of water (in millions) customers use each week and see how this changes across the year.

How we manage our water resources
We continually monitor water resources and work closely with the Environment Agency, other water companies and large water users to ensure we can manage our resources effectively in periods of below-normal rainfall. 

We also have a Drought Management Plan in place detailing the triggers for any actions we may need to take during extended dry periods, to manage both demand and supply of water to our customers.

As well as monitoring current levels, we also plan for the long term, making sure we can provide a high-quality, secure and reliable water supply, that is affordable and sustainable, for years to come. Find out more about our plans here.

We always do what we can to conserve supplies and we want to play our part too. We are committed to reducing leakage levels by 17% by 2030, through investing in our pipes and introducing new technologies. 

We encourage our customers to be as water-efficient as possible by offering advice, free water-saving devices and the option of free water meters to be fitted, where possible.