Yorkshire Water uses data to talk frankly with customers

Yorkshire Water said it will become the “first water company” to regularly publish full data on the region’s water resources to enable customers to see how the weather impacts demand.

The company is to also team up with the Environment Agency to run a new campaign based on the information, which aims to help Yorkshire residents make more informed choices about their water use.

Recent customer research by Yorkshire Water shows that customers are more likely to think about their water use and change their habits when they feel they are being given honest information about water resources.

It suggested customers “strongly prefer” to be provided with information and asked to play their part in conserving water, compared to the possibility of enforced restrictions.

Water resources data, which includes detailed information on reservoir, river and groundwater levels, customer demand, rainfall and the outputs of the company’s water treatment works is usually only shared with the Environment Agency.

In a bid to be more transparent with customers and to have a “straightforward conversation with them” Yorkshire Water plans to publish a “customer friendly” version on its website. A full report will also be published through Data Mill North as part of Yorkshire Water’s open data initiative.

The data shows Yorkshire has experienced below average rainfall in five of the last six months to the end of October, with June being the driest month at just over 30 per cent of the long-term average. A dry summer would not be too unusual, but the dry spell has continued through the autumn and winter, the company said.

The figures also show a significant peak in demand for water during the summer with an increase of up to 200 million litres per day, which is more than the daily demand of a city the size of Leeds.

As a result, Yorkshire Water’s reservoir stocks currently stand at 56 per cent below the level normally expected at this time of year and meaning work is required to ensure that water resources can recover over the winter.

The dry weather has also impacted Yorkshire Water’s network of pipes, as increased ground movement from the ground drying out has resulted in a 50 per cent increase in the number of repairs needed to burst pipes.

Richard Flint, chief executive at Yorkshire Water, said: “Throughout this year we have been sharing tips on how to use water wisely and we saw a great response from customers. However, we feel that for us to really be able to have the conversation with customers about their use of water we need to be really clear with them about the current situation.

“We hope that making our full water situation report available will allow customers to use the information to make their own decisions about the action they can take to conserve water at home.”

The newly published information will be used by Yorkshire Water and the Environment Agency as part of a pilot campaign, which the organisations hope could help lead the way in changing how the water industry approaches conversations with customers about water resources.

Katharine Smith, Environment Agency area manager, said: “We encourage everyone to follow advice on saving water from their water company and use water wisely because this will help protect the environment and conserve water in reservoirs.