Today starts the water hose pipe ban in most parts of the East Coast and Midlands in England,..a fine of £1.000 will be made if caught using a water hose pipe and that applies to farmers with livestock or crop growers,..it is estimated that the ban will be in force until next Autumn,..reservoirs are almost empty in some areas and have given warnings back as far as last December. Video==December 2011 warnings
Wow. Sad. We're not far from that. Last year, major drought. This spring hasn't rained in over a month. Spring... which is supposed to filled with plenty of showers... I am lucky we have a well in our yard and I bucket up water. How long will that LAST?
I'm glad I live up here in Scotland where we certainly have no need for a hose pipe ban to be set in place. I do worry though about everyone down south as it's going to cause so many problems for them. Let's hope they get some serious rain soon to help fill up those reservoirs.
It's been a dry spring here also. We were able to cut down a huge tree and put a drain tile through the yard in a wet spot, only it isn't wet there right now. We haven't been able to walk in the area all winter long is was so spongy, YUCK! you needed boots to go through there. Then we planted 5 apple trees, 3 there and two in another area...I hope we don't have a drought this year, but we won't have a watering ban as we have a well and are not dependent on a commercial water source. I can at least water my plants and chickens.
After living through a record-breaking drought last year, everyone hereabouts are keeping their fingers crossed that we are almost out of it. We had watering restrictions, complete bans on outside use of water (watering gardens, washing cars) and two towns ran out of water and had to truck it in. There was a big spike in interest in water barrels! We've had a wet year so far, and every drop is being cherished--it's so nice to see green again. I pat our full-to-overflowing water bins every time I pass them! Philip, it will pass. Aren't you glad you put in your rain barrel?
Hi Calin, lucky you that has a well in your garden and can bucket up water,..but as you wrote,..how long will that last,..true i have seen wells go dry with prolonged drought. ================================================== Hi Eileen, i was looking at the news on how they were thinking of diverting water from Scotland to down south by natural gravity,..not a bad idea providing they don't over do it. ================================================== Hi Chocolate, love your comment,..that's either natural gravity or soakage, . ================================================== Hi Carolyn, yep you are lucky also,.. to not be depending on a commercial water source and the charge they make. ================================================== Hi Jane, i surely am glad i got my water barrel,..last year was a heads up,.. but that was due to the town water supply pipes freezing and supermarkets ran out of bottled water,..so far we have had enough rainfall not to have alerts about water shortage,..but as England is only a short distance away its a reminder of how things could turn,..come to think,..i can not remember when it last rained here in the Irish midlands,..but we do have heavy mists at night. Lets hope your area gets a good rainfall so no water restrictions.
It's always sad to hear about a nasty old drought. Hopefully the rains will come before it gets too devastating.
Our water source lakes are finally back to full after the rainy last three months but there is no guarantee that the rain will continue. The long term forecast is for hotter and dryer this summer than last. Our main concern up here is that one of the largest water source lakes can not be used at all because of a Zebra Mussel infestation that could spread into other lakes and stop the water flow to cities completely. We are still on water restrictions here, you can only water twice a week and those days are determined by whether the last number of your address is even or odd. My two days are Wednesday and Saturday and we can only water by handheld hose-end sprayers, not sprinklers. Not sure about soaker hoses in the garden, right now they can only be used to water the foundation of your home to help prevent foundations cracks.
Hi Cheryl, sad is true when you look at the concerns to farm produce needing water and livestock,..those of us living near the river can make use of the abundance of water,..and to think most of it flows into the seaa. ===================================================== Hi Toni, hotter and dryer this summer than last year,..not very promising outlook,..we also have the Zebra Mussel here in the Lake,..it only arrived a few years back,..they block up pipes and of course start clinging to boats,..like barnacles,..every year i have to take up my boats and clear them off,..masses of them.
It might... are you right underneath my well? Maybe we can have a trade? I put some plants in a bag, tie a rock to it, and just drop it in the well???
water water everywhere, neer a drop to drink We occasionally get a dry spell in summer that causes some major hand watering, but we, on average, still get our 57" of rain per year. This past February measured out at just over 4", with 1" in one helping. I've heard horror storys coming out of Texas about the drought there this past year.
Your garden looks great,..very healthy looking plants and huge trees,..very impressive,..i hope you get enough rain for the coming summer though i no doubt will hear drastic shortages of water from some members who live in areas where drought in the past has really hit badly,..but who would ever have guessed drought in England,..imagine two winters with very little rainfall,..not so here in Ireland,..its raining non stop since daylight,..over four hours.
Hi Carolyn, it just stopped and the sun is shining,..you can almost see seeds popping up and flowers,..ROSES ready to bloom, and probably will in about an hour.
