Recent data from the Environment Agency highlights a worrying decline in reservoir storage across England, revealing that 12 locations have reservoirs holding less than half of their usual water levels. Among these, some sites are alarmingly low, with reservoirs barely a third full after a prolonged dry summer.
The affected regions span Cumbria, Somerset, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, and Yorkshire, reflecting the broad impact of an unusually dry season. Somerset, in particular, faces significant challenges, with four reservoirs—Wimbleball, Chew Valley, Blagdon, and Clatworthy—all below 40% capacity.
At the end of August, England’s reservoir storage averaged 57% of the long-term norm, a sharp drop from 69% at the end of July, despite heavy rainfall in late August. This decline has occurred in the context of the warmest spring and summer on record and England experiencing its second driest spring since Met Office records began.
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Several areas remain under hosepipe bans and are officially classified as drought zones, highlighting ongoing water supply concerns.
Key reservoirs below 50% capacity include:
- Colliford in Cornwall (48%)
- Haweswater & Thirlmere in Cumbria (44%)
- Blithfield in Staffordshire (42%)
- Derwent Valley in Derbyshire (40%)
- Wimbleball in Somerset (39%)
- Chew Valley in Somerset (39%)
- Blagdon in Somerset (38%)
- Clatworthy in Somerset (37%)
- Ardingly in West Sussex (34%)
- Yorkshire Supply Group (32%)
- Pennines Group (30%)
- Elan Valley Group in Powys, Wales (42%), supplying the West Midlands
The Environment Agency notes that about 75% of reservoirs experienced a drop of more than 10 percentage points in storage during August. For example, Clywedog reservoir, which supplies central England from Wales, fell significantly from 84% to 59%, while the Dove group dropped from 76% to 54%.
Only one reservoir group, the Lower Lee group in north London, maintained above-normal levels at 91%.
Nearly two-thirds of reservoirs are categorized as notably or exceptionally low, emphasizing the severity of current water shortages.
Full reservoir storage percentages at the end of August demonstrate the widespread impact across the country, with many key water sources now at critically low levels as autumn approaches.