Water information

  • Water Conservation
    In England and Wales, as in many parts of the world, the balance between water supply and water demand is becoming a more and more vital issue. Read more...
  • What not to flush down the toilet
    What you flush down your toilet could pollute streams and rivers or end up on a beach. Here are some tips on what not to flush. Read more...
  • Nappies
    Disposable nappies are often flushed down the toilet and end up in our sewers and on our beaches. Aviod the problem by using reusable, washible nappies. Read more...
  • Dos and Don'ts of waste water
    You can cut down on the total amount of water you use by reusing waste water, but beware, waste water can only be used for certain things. Read more...
  • Useful water contacts
  • Centre for Alternative Technology water-realted publications
    Read more...

Water Conservation
In England and Wales, as in many parts of the world, the balance between water supply and water demand is becoming a more and more vital issue. During the past two decades we have been steadily increasing the amount of water we use in the home, and forecasts indicate that this upward trend will continue.
If we do not carefully manage our natural resources and the demands made on them, then the water environment will suffer and the security of water supply could be in jeopardy.

Top tips for saving water in the home
By thinking carefully about your water use in the home and changing some water-wasting habits, it is easy to save water.

  • Vegetables and fruit should be washed in a bowl rather than under a running tap and the leftover water can be used for watering house plants.
  • Use the minimum amount of water required when you boil water in saucepans and kettles; that way, you’ll save energy as well as water.
  • Try keeping a bottle or jug of water in the fridge instead of running taps until the water runs cold.
  • Half-load programmes on dishwashers and washing machines use more than half the water and energy of a full load. Therefore, wait until you have a full load before switching the machine on.
  • Try not to leave the tap running while you brush your teeth, shave or wash your hands, as this can waste up to 5 litres of water per minute.
  • A 5-minute shower uses about a third of the water of a bath. But remember that power showers can use more water than a bath in less than 5 minutes.
  • Old toilet cisterns can use as much as 9 litres of clean water every flush. Reduce this by placing a ‘save-a-flush’ or ‘hippo’ in the cistern.
  • Cotton wool and tissues should be put in a waste bin rather than flushed down the toilet.
  • Dripping taps can waste up to 4 litres of water a day. Replace worn tap washers for a quick and cheap way of saving water.
  • Burst water pipes can cause serious damage as well as waste water. Ensure your water pipes and external taps are lagged in time for the cold winter months.

Top tips for saving water in the garden

In England and Wales it is possible to have a beautiful garden without using any mains water. The following top tips will help you to stop wasting water in the garden:

  • Watering in the cool of the early morning or evening helps to reduce evaporation losses.
  • If plants and shrubs are watered too often they will remain shallow rooted, weakening the plant. Leave them alone until they show signs of wilting.
  • You can use a watering can to water plants with rainwater collected in water-butts. If you prefer to use a hosepipe, fit a trigger nozzle to control the flow.
  • Careful weeding and hoeing ensures that watering helps plants and not weeds.
  • Plant flowers and shrubs that thrive in hot and dry conditions such as thyme, evening primrose, rock rose,
  • Californian poppy, pinks, lavender, buddleia and hebes.
  • Mulches such as wood chips, bark and gravel help to prevent water evaporation and also suppress weed growth, saving you both water and time spent weeding.
  • Lawns can survive long periods of dry weather if the grass is not cut too short. Even if the grass turns brown, it will quickly recover after a few days of rain.
  • Decking, gravel, paving and cobbles can make an attractive alternative to water-thirsty lawns and have the extra benefit of being low maintenance.
  • Garden sprinklers can use as much water in an hour as a family of four uses in a day. If you use a sprinkler, many water companies require you to have a water meter fitted.
  • Washing your car with a bucket and sponge uses much less water than using a hosepipe.
    If you prefer to use a car wash, find one that recycles the water.

What not to flush down the toilet
What you flush down your toilet could pollute streams and rivers or end up on a beach. Here are some tips on what not to flush. Taken fron the Bag it, Bin it, don't flush it campaign

Disposing of personal Items in the home:

Sanitary Towels and Tampons - wrap well and dispose of along with other domestic waste. Special bags for sanitary protection items are available from pharmacies.

Disposable Nappies - as with sanitary towels wrap well and dispose of with other domestic waste. Before you do, you could flush any solids - but not the actual nappy - down the toilet. See also nappy section below.

Razor Blades - put the used blade inside a rigid container which you are also throwing into the dustbin. Razor blades should never be flushed down the toilet.

Condoms, Incontinence Pads and Bandages - dispose of in the same manner as sanitary towels.

Medicines - any unwanted or unused medicines should be returned to your local pharmacy for safe disposal. Do not dispose of medicines with other household waste. Always remember to keep all medicines out of the reach of children.

Syringes and Needles - your local hospital or health authority will be able to advise you on the availability of local ‘needle banks’.

Spread the Message to Others
Talking to your friends and family about the campaign is a great way to spread the message. Many people flush things down the toilet because they are unaware of the damage it can cause, not because they don’t care.


Nappies
Disposable nappies are often flushed down the toilet and end up in our sewers and on our beaches. Aviod the problem by using reusable, washible nappies.

Real Nappies Association
Promote the use of reusable (washable, non-disposable) nappies for mothers, local authorities and health workers.
For an information pack send a large SAE to: The Real Nappy Association, PO Box 3704, London SE26 4RX .
Or call the Nappy Line - 01983 401959

Where to buy reusable nappies

Colin Bickley
67a Ashton Road East, Failsworth, Manchester M35 9PW
0161 681 1944

Daisy & Tom
118 - 124 Deangate, Manchester M32 QR
0161 835 5000

Oldham Real Nappy Network
Hilary Smith (also agent)
01706 840 650 hilary@lanappies.co.uk

Claire Redrobe (Agent)
0161 860 4193
claire@redrobe.free-online.co.uk

Winstanleys
725 Ormskirk Road, Pemberton, Wigan WN5 8AT
01942 214 864

Dos and Don'ts of waste water
(Courtesy of CAT http://www.cat.org.uk/catpubs/tipsheet.tmpl?sku=06)

You can cut down on the total amount of water you use by reusing waste water, but beware, waste water can only be used for certain things.

1. Scale your waste water re-using efforts to suit your garden water requirement; collect and use only as much greywater as is required for reasonable irrigation.
A good, conservative rule is that a square foot of loamy garden soil, rich in organic matter, is capable of handling one-quarter gallon of waste water per week. If the garden area suitable for greywater irrigation is 400 square feet, then up to 100 gallons of water may be used in the garden each week. This rate may be greater in the summer months when surface evaporation and plant transpiration is considerable, and should be less during the winter when there is rainfall.
Garden water conservation measures should also be employed. Using mulches of compost, planting in depressions, and landscaping with plants native to your area will reduce your garden's need for water. Frequently check soil moisture to determine precisely when the garden is in need of irrigation.

2. Water in, water out. Never store greywater, not even for a day. The drums you see in properly designed greywater systems are called 'surge' or 'buffer' tanks. Their purpose is to accumulate greywater as several or more sources are generating it at the same time, and to hold it temporarily until a hose or pump can distribute it to the plants. Storing greywater on warm or hot summer days can quickly produce a septic bacterial soup, which is likely to stink and to breed disease pathogens. Waste water in excess of what is needed should be discharged into the sewer in the conventional manner.

3. The order of preferential use for types of greywater is as follows: shower and bath; bathroom sink; utility sink and washing machine; kitchen sink and dish washer.

4. Never apply greywater with a sprinkler or onto a lawn. Greywater should never 'daylight' pool, puddle, or lie on the surface of the landscape. Following this advice prevents insects from breeding in puddled greywater, animals from drinking it, and kids from being attracted to splash in it.

5. Distribute the greywater to different sections of the landscape every couple of days, depending upon your yard's soil structure. Never apply greywater exclusively and continuously to the same spot, or the soil will be destroyed. A set of simple manual valves in the landscape will allow you to rotate the greywater to a different section every couple of days, depending upon how much of it your household generates. That way plants only get greywatered every week or two.

6. Avoid using greywater on acid-loving plants, because the water will be slightly alkaline, due to soaps and detergents. Most shade-loving plants prefer an acid soil; examples include: blueberries ( Vaocinium spp.), heath (Erica spp.), heather (Calluna spp.), spruce trees (Picea spp.), pin oak (Quercus palustris), crepe-myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica), lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis), holly (Ilex spp.), mountain ash (Sorbus spp.) and hemlock (Tsuga spp.).

7. Be cautious about which soaps, detergents, and cleansers you use in the laundry and bathroom. Use only those products which are considered safe and non-toxic for people. (A good reference book is Non-toxic & Natural, by Debra Lynn Dadd.) Avoid products with boron, such as Borateam and Boraxo. Limit your use of bleach as much as possible, or, even better, cut out bleaches altogether. If you have hard water, add 1/8- to 1/4-cup hexametaphosphate per five gallons of laundry water in place of bleach, and then use one-half the amount of your normal detergent. For kitchen and bathroom cleaning, use simple scouring powders such as Bon Ami rM Cleaning Powder.

8. Over extended periods of greywater application, sodium levels may build up in the soil resulting in poor soil drainage and potential damage to plants. High levels of sodium may be detected by conducting a pH test of the soil using pH paper (commonly available from pharmacies or nurseries). A pH of 7.5 or above indicates that your soil has become overloaded with sodium. You can correct this problem by spreading gypsum (calcium sulfate) over the soil at a rate of 2 pounds per 100 square feet per month. Continue treatment until the pH of the soil drops to 7.0 As a precaution against further sodium build-up, gypsum may be applied to the soil receiving greywater at a rate of 1 pound per month for every 20 gallons per day discharge. (This means that if you are discharging waste water to the garden at a rate of 50 gallons per day then a monthly application of 21/2 pounds of gypsum is required to neutralise the detrimental effect of the sodium). Normal dilution of waste water by rainfall or fresh water irrigation also will help leach the soil of sodium and excess salts.

9. Unless you are opting for the simplest methods of collecting your waste water, i.e. with buckets or a siphoning system, you will need a surge tank. It must have an overflow port into the main sewage line, in case the system can't distribute the water fast enough during peak loading. If possible, this overflow line should rely upon gravity flow and connect to the blackwater (sewage) line with a minimum 1/4-inch drop for every 10 feet of run. Add a one-way swing check-valve between the sewer line and the surge tank to allow greywater to drain into the sewer, and to prevent a stopped-up sewer, God forbid, from filling the surge tank. (It's important that the valve be installed with the embossed arrow pointing downstream toward the sewer or septic tank.)

10. If you are plumbing in a greywater system you will need a set of two ball-valves or a single three-way valve. This allows for convenient switching back to the sewer or septic tank when necessary; for example, whenever it rains too hard for the greywater to seep into the soil, or during the winter in cold climates, or if someone becomes ill with a dangerous communicable disease. The switching can be done with a remote-controlled electric solenoid three-way valve. One flip of the switch and the water is diverted to either the greywater system or the sewer.


Useful water contacts


Marine Conservation Society
Promotes marine conservation through practical programmes, information and education. Jointly organises Beachwatch and produces the Good Beach Guide.
9 Gloucester Road, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire HR9 5BU
Tel: 01989 566 017 www.mcsuk.org

British Waterways
British Waterways manages and cares for 2,000 miles (3,219km) of canals, rivers and docks, buildings, structures and landscapes. Our 200-year old network of inland waterways has a unique history and environment which improves the quality of life for people and communities close to them.
Willow Grange, Church Road, Watford WD1 3QA
Tel: 01923 226 422 www.britishwaterways.co.uk

Mersey Basin Trust
28th Floor, Sunley Tower, Piccadilly Plaza, Manchester M1 4BT
0161 228 6924
The Mersey Basin Campaign is a 25 year government backed partnership which brings together local authorities, businesses, voluntary organisations and government agencies to deliver water quality improvements and waterside regeneration throughout the Mersey Basin river system.

United Utilities
If you have an enquiry about or problem with the public sewer you should phone United Utilities on 0845 602 0406. For water supply queries call 0845 746 2200 or write to United Utilities, PO Box 453, Warrington, WA55 1SE.


Water Aid
Water Aid works with water companies to help developing nations achieve improvements in water supply and sanitation. The charity also runs educational and fund-raising programmes for schools.
Prince Consort House, 27-29 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7UB
Tel: 020 7793 4500 www.wateraid.org.uk/education


Centre for Alternative Technology water-related publications
contact them: Centre for Alternative Technology, Machynlleth, Powys, SY20 9AZ
01654 705950 or visit http://www.cat.org.uk

Information sheets:
Making Use of Waste Water
Hydraulic Ram - water pump
Slow sand filters - for drinking water
Garden solar fountain
Water Conservation in the home

Resource guide:
Water supply and treatment