In a major update, a drought has been declared across Yorkshire after months of unusually dry weather. According to the Environment Agency (EA), low water levels in water reserves and rivers have prompted the move despite recent rainfall across several parts of the region.
On Friday, Yorkshire officially entered drought status after multi-seasonal rainfall deficits having previously been classified as in a period of dry spell. The head of water production, treatment and energy at Yorkshire Water, Andy Shaw said the EA’s decision reflected dry conditions across the region but did not imply water restrictions are presently required.
In this connection, EA manager Vicki Townend said: “The ongoing lack of rainfall means the flow in rivers and groundwater levels in certain parts of our area are very low and have now reached our trigger for declaring a drought.”
“Even if we receive a few weeks of rain, we cannot quickly reverse the effects of the lack of rainfall during a very dry spring and summer.”
Notably, East Yorkshire was the driest area in the UK with some locations registering less than 20% of expected rainfall. Reservoirs are just above 40% capacity below the average for the time of year and intriguingly below last year’s levels at this same point when a hosepipe ban was in effect.
Drought status primarily in theory would allow Yorkshire Water to mitigate the flow out of some reservoirs which would restore the river system in order to slow their decline and even apply for a hosepipe ban.
Nonetheless, when demand for water in general falls heading through autumn and winter, rainfall increases, Yorkshire Water is not exempt from constraints.
