What needs to happen for a drought to be declared in Wales
What needs to happen for a drought to be declared in Wales
Reservoir and river levels across Wales have depleted after a period of prolonged dry weather and Wales might move one step closer to an official drought declaration this week, it has been reported
Low water levels at the Pentwyn reservoir during a drought in 2022
(Image: Dimitris Legakis/Athena Pictures )
Drought experts are set to meet on Thursday, May 22, to decide if stronger advice on water use is needed in response to record low river levels. River and reservoir levels across Wales have dropped over the last month due to a period of prolonged dry weather.
The Welsh Government's drought liaison group - consisting of water companies, Natural Resources Wales, the Met Office and other partners - will discuss whether all or parts of the country should be upgraded from normal to prolonged dry weather status.
BBC Wales reports that Thursday's meeting will review the latest data, with potential announcements to follow. The experts could decide to declare a period of prolonged dry weather across all or part of Wales, a step towards an official drought being recognised.
The BBC added that rivers in north and mid Wales were classed as having notably low levels, while the Dee and Yscir were at their driest since records began in the 1970s. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here
The latest data from Natural Resources Wales shows that reservoir levels have dropped and are below where they are expected to be at this time of the year.
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As of May 8, Welsh Water's reservoirs were 79% full in south east Wales, 89% full in the south west, 90% full in the north east and 92% full in the north west.
On Thursday, May 15, Welsh Water bosses asked customers to "consider their water usage" to help preserve reservoir levels.
The organisation added that it was ramping up measures to preserve reservoir levels where possible
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Around 95% of Welsh Water's supply originates from reservoirs and rivers, which can make it vulnerable to drier periods of weather.
Ian Christie, managing director of water, asset planning, and capital delivery at Welsh Water said: "We're not asking people not to use their water, we're just asking them to use the water they need but avoid wasting it."
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