CountyClean Group offers tips on how to preserve a most valuable resource whilst raising awareness about Water Quality Month in the UK.
This years’ Water Quality Month and World Water Week (26-31 Aug), coincide with the country’s exceptional heatwave conditions and utilities companies have needed to pump billions of extra litres into the infrastructure. Water shortage warnings have been issued, food crops, social and healthcare services have been affected, and also hosepipe bans were considered.
In retrospect, disruptions to water supply can have a significant impact on people’s welfare and livelihoods as water is fundamental to our every day activities, from flushing the toilet to maintaining personal hygiene, having a drink, as without running water most businesses are unable to operate and therefore economies can be greatly affected.
Many businesses in the UK are unaware that since April 2017, it is their responsibility to have a water contingency plan in place. ‘Water critical’ sites include prisons, farms with livestock, hospitals and locations that are security sensitive.
Following are some interesting facts about water…
Water covers 70% of the Earth but less than 1% of the water can be used as clean water for drinking, agricultural, manufacturing and all our other needs.
– More than half of the water used in a home is used in the bathroom, for laundry and dish washing – with the highest percentage used in baths.
– A new-born human consists of 80% of water, whereas the human adult body consists of 60% water and bones are made of 31% water.
– The amount of water on Earth has not changed since it was formed, meaning that the water from your tap could contain molecules that dinosaurs drank.
Generally though, we should count ourselves lucky to have a well maintained clean and waste water infrastructure in this country, nearly a billion people worldwide have limited access to clean water right now and by 2025 two-thirds of the world’s population could be living under water stressed conditions.
It is important to point out that just one small drip from a tap can waste as much as 128 litres of water each day and that ground water contamination is nearly always caused by human activity.
As clean quality water is becoming more scarce across the world and the UK has less available water per person than most other European countries, here are some simple tips on how to waste less and reuse more water in the most efficient way…
1. Instead of having a daily bath, have a shower and try to limit showering to once a day and use damp flannels to cool yourself down.
2. Equip your home or business property with water saving devices such as save-a-flush bags from Southern Water, water butts from your local council to collect rainwater for gardening and a timed sprinkler system for irrigation purposes.
3. Wash cars, bikes and outdoor equipment on the lawn so that the soapy water run off can be naturally purified by turf and soil. Alternatively, wash your car at a car wash facility.
4. Prevent contamination to water courses by correctly disposing of used engine or heating oil, old paints, unused gardening and cleaning chemicals, or any other hazardous liquids at local waste management sites or by calling our accredited experts on 0800 171 2204.
5. Pick up pet waste, recycle and be conscientious of where you put rubbish. Animal waste contains millions of disease causing bacteria, plastics can take centuries to decompose and liquids may leak from bags which could contaminate water supplies.
CountyClean Group fully understands the importance of having clear running water and a reliable waste water system in place. Furthermore, our teams regularly work with utilities companies and facilities management teams to investigate water quality, keeping sewer networks working correctly.
