We’re back collaborating with SES Water on another brilliant brief with the chance to win a great prize!
Our two previous collabs were incredible and we’re excited to see what the OMBLES come up with. No pressure!
Or should that be low pressure… as today’s brief is all about saving water in different ways to avoid water pressure running low for you and your neighbours!!
Brief:
One Minute Brief of the Day: Create posters to encourage people to use less water outside during lockdown to avoid underpressured water supply at home & stop networks from being put #UnderPressure
Tweet your entries to @OneMinuteBriefs and @SESWater with the hashtag #UnderPressure
Prize: £200 cash prize for today’s winner!!
About:
Picture the scene – after one of the wettest winters on record, you are now in lockdown so using the time at home to get on with some DIY projects like pressure washing the patio, and watering all the new plants that you have painstakingly planted now that garden centres are open. You’ve also been told to steer clear of beaches and beauty spots so instead you are filling up a paddling pool and letting the kids run wild with the hose to entertain them for a few precious minutes – thank goodness for the sunny weather…!
And now what’s this? Someone else is now telling you what to do? Your water supplier is saying you must use less water? But what about all that rain?!
Well, the good news is that all that rain is still available and resource levels are healthy - but there is a problem. Hot temperatures, dry weather (May was the driest on record) and more people at home in their gardens rather than going away means water use in our area is soaring to record levels (around an extra 50 million litres a day, the equivalent of supplying over 300,000 more people). Some people are using it at a faster rate than we can pump it from our treatment works to their taps because all pipes have a limited capacity. This can cause problems with low pressure for everyone - anyone who has been standing in the shower when someone fills a kettle or flushes a loo will understand the principle.
That’s why we need people to think about their water use as the more they use, the more chance there will be of pressure problems for them and their neighbours.
What can people do? Well, we know that the majority of the extra millions of litres are being used outside – hosepipes and sprinklers use a huge amount, around 1000 litres an hour, the same as a family of six would use in a day. So let your lawn go brown, it’ll soon bounce back when it rains – and this is England, it will rain soon! Water your plants using a watering can, either early in the morning or during the evening when it is cooler and there is less chance of water evaporating. If you have a car, give yourself a well-earned break and don’t wash it but if you really want to then use a bucket and sponge.
Every drop really does count – if we all save a little, then together we can save a lot! Even small changes in the way you use water can make a huge difference, whatever the weather.
Web link: www.seswater.co.uk
Twitter: @SESWater
Below image & water saving tips credit of: twitter.com/WaterUK/status/1267488825921634304
