Why Saving Water Can Help Save The Environment


Saving water can be difficult to associate with saving the environment. After all, it tends to be more arid countries which suffer droughts and struggle to find clean water. All we get is the occasional low water flow and the inevitable hosepipe ban that follows. As a nation of garden lovers, this is a definite inconvenience, but it’s not life and death - we’ll always have enough clean water to go around, right?

Well the answer is: probably. At the time of writing, the UK has just had its sunniest Spring on record, with 266 hours of sunshine in May. With the recent drought, things have got so bad that specialists were called in to rescue fish stranded in dried up rivers in Shropshire.

According to the Environment Agency, we will be facing shortages by 2050 unless we save water fast.

Saving water isn’t just about supply and drought preparation. It’s important to save it even during rainy months. But why would saving water be a big deal if we’ve got such an abundance of the stuff?

The answer lies in the process of purifying and transporting water.

Hose pipe in use, laying on the grass

Getting water from treatment plants to our taps


The process of purifying and transporting water is far more energy intensive than you might think. A water company will need to:

  • produce and transport the purification chemicals, and remove of their byproducts;
  • pump water to its destination, which is often a network of hundreds of miles; and,
  • build new reservoirs and boreholes to meet demand.

These processes, when you consider the activities of all UK water companies, guzzle energy to the tune of 2,226 kilotons of carbon dioxide a year. That’s 2,266,000,000 kg!

Fighting water waste


We’ve heard incredible stories where the actions of a few people can make a massive impact. Take for example, the case of 17 students in Coldfall primary school in Haringey. By spreading awareness and helping change behaviours in the school, they managed to save 3 million litres of water being wasted.

That works out as a reduction of 1.5 metric tonnes of carbon emissions (1,500kg - that’s the weight of a small 4x4). It also saved the school nearly £300,000.

Well done to those students! But through making small changes in our lives, we can also make a difference.


How can you help?


Here at Bates Environmental, we can help you to save water so you save money and so that, together, we can help save the environment.

Have you made any small changes to your lifestyle since the lockdown? We’d love to hear your ideas!

In the meantime, stay safe and keep an eye out for our next blog where we show you some simple tips to save money and the environment!