England's water crisis: Why is the country running dry and how can it be fixed?

England is grappling with a severe water shortage, prompting questions about blame for summer droughts and how to secure future supplies.

Experts point to a significant disparity in water consumption between England and countries like Denmark. Even with projected population growth, simple measures like reducing shower time by one minute could save nearly one billion liters of water daily by 2050. However, water companies' conservation campaigns have yielded limited success, partly due to public distrust.

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I think that would absolutely go a long way to… undoing some of the disdain towards the water companies and get people on board to help look after our water resources.

Will Willoughby, director of water supply at Wessex Water, acknowledged that negative public perception hinders conservation efforts. He suggested that government-led campaigns might be more effective. A key difference highlighted is the price of water. While the UK has seen rising water bills and public outcry over shareholder dividends instead of infrastructure investment, consumers may not be paying enough.

In Denmark, the average cost for water and wastewater is significantly higher (£9.45 per cubic meter) compared to England, where even the most expensive provider charges £7.06. Daniel Johns, managing director of Water Resources East, stated that water in England is "too cheap," fostering an assumption of constant availability that needs to be addressed.

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People assume that it will always be readily available. And we need to wean ourselves off that kind of idea that water will always be there.

With climate models predicting wetter winters, the idea of storing excess water arises. However, England has not built major new reservoirs in over 30 years. The debate over this lack of investment involves water companies blaming regulators for not allowing spending, and campaigners citing a lack of private sector investment. The independent Cunliffe review acknowledged both arguments.

Although 10 reservoirs are planned by 2050, construction is complex. Dr. Ross Woods, an associate professor at the University of Bristol, noted that finding suitable, sloping land for reservoirs is challenging nationwide. One proposed mega-reservoir aims to serve 15 million people, but the feasibility of such large-scale projects remains a significant question.

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Building enough reservoirs to hold all that water requires good places, which means places where the land is sloping, where we can find a valley.