Behind the Tap for Business
Having recently come out of our fifth heatwave of the summer, conditions across our network remain exceptionally dry. While some recent rainfall has been very welcome, it has not been enough to offset the prolonged dry and hot weather coupled with high demand that we’ve experienced this summer. Our water sources remain under pressure as we move towards autumn.
In this edition, we share some valuable resources to help businesses navigate through the final few weeks of summer and beyond:
An update on our current operational position and why saving water across the region remains vital.
Access free, downloadable water-saving posters and practical tips to engage your staff and customers.
How businesses with outdoor spaces – such as pubs, hotels, and schools – can keep gardens thriving under Temporary Use Ban (TUB) guidelines.
Lastly, we are truly sorry to businesses and non-households in our supply area and especially to those in Kent and Sussex who have been impacted by recent supply issues. We recognise how vital a reliable water supply is to your day-to-day operations, and we know this level of service is unacceptable.
Thank you for your continued support in using water extra wisely so we can safeguard supplies for everyone across the region.
Drought update: What the restrictions mean for businesses
Following a prolonged period of hot weather, high demand, and below-average rainfall, the Environment Agency has officially moved our supply area into drought status. While winter rains initially left our raw water resources in a healthy position coming into the spring, low river flow, declining reservoirs, and the need to protect groundwater have breached some of the triggers outlined in our Drought Plan. Our main priority remains securing water for essential daily needs.
In Sussex our reservoirs also continue to fall, therefore, we are looking at other ways to protect water supplies, including applying for a Drought Permit. This would allow us to amend the conditions of the licence that set out how we take water from the River Ouse and manage Ardingly Reservoir. We’re looking at two changes:
Reducing the amount of additional water we must release from Ardingly Reservoir into the Shell Brook tributary of the River Ouse, to help us keep more water in the reservoir.
Reducing the minimum flow of water that must remain in the River Ouse after we’ve taken water from the river to keep your taps flowing.
These changes are designed to minimise the impact on the environment.
We’ll update our website here, if we apply for and are granted this permit.
How Temporary Use Bans (TUBs) affect businesses
A Temporary Use Ban (TUB) remains in place for all customers in our supply area. We will only be in a position to lift restrictions once we see sustained, long-term rainfall that recharges our rivers, reservoirs, and groundwater levels. Even if some businesses are legally exempt from restrictions right now, we’re asking them to use water extra wisely during this period to help reduce strain on the network. Below, we set out how businesses are impacted by a Temporary Use Ban:
Car washes and vehicle cleaning: Commercial cleaning services remain legally exempt to protect local livelihoods, but they are strongly encouraged to adopt water-efficient practices.
Sports grounds and recreational facilities: Areas of grass or artificial outdoor surfaces used for sport or recreation can only be watered using a hosepipe on the active playing strip – not the wider grounds. This is restricted to outside daily peak hours (not allowed between 8am–10am and 5pm–9pm).
If you believe a business is mis-using a hosepipe, you can report it here.
If the dry weather continues, next steps might mean removing certain exemptions and applying for a non-essential use ban. We are not at this stage yet. But we will keep you updated about next steps. In the meantime, you can read our FAQs about the Temporary Use Ban here.
Working together to promote a water-efficient region
We’re working closely with businesses, water retailers, and Chambers of Commerce across Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, and Berkshire to promote water-saving best practices to their customers and members.
Our teams have started site visits to high-usage non-household customers to directly request voluntary demand reductions and to inspect sites for leaks that may be causing high demand on our network.
We’re also asking all businesses to shift water-heavy operational processes outside of daily peak demand windows (7am–9am and 4pm–7pm), fix workplace leaks as soon as possible, and adopt water-efficient practices (such as sweeping hard surfaces with a broom instead of using a hose).
Where to find up-to-date information
Non-households and businesses can sign up to receive text alerts through our AquAlerter system, which will let you know if there are any supply interruptions in their area. You can sign up to receive alerts here. All you need to do is select ‘sign up as a guest’ and enter a telephone number and postcode.
For general updates about supply interruptions, and information about any restrictions we’ve introduced, you can have a look at our website here.
For information about how agricultural businesses can register for our livestock support register, have a look at our dedicated webpage here.
Help us protect our supplies this upcoming bank holiday weekend and beyond
With the upcoming bank holiday weekend around the corner, we are asking all business customers to join us in continuing to protect our water supplies. While late summer brings welcome bank holiday trade and activity, our water resources are still under pressure after months of below-average rainfall and persistent heat.
By reducing water demand, non-households and businesses can help ensure reliable supply for essential services, safeguard business continuity, and give our natural water sources vital room to recover.
Here is how your business can take proactive action to help us protect our supplies this bank holiday weekend and beyond:
Horticulture and agriculture
Secure emergency reserves: Consider installing dedicated on-site storage tanks or cisterns to secure at least a week’s supply for critical crops, livestock, or sensitive plant stock.
Optimise irrigation schedules: Shift from standard sprinklers to precision drip irrigation or soaker hoses. Schedule abstraction and watering during cooler, off-peak evening or early morning hours to minimise loss through evaporation.
Harvest and promote: Look at setting up large-scale rainwater harvesting on barn and outbuilding roofs to capture any rain we get for non-potable washing. For garden centres, actively showcase drought-resistant plants to help customers become water-wise gardeners.
Education (schools, colleges and universities)
Check facilities for hidden leaks: Conduct simple site walk-throughs to spot leaky loos and dripping taps before the students return from their summer holidays. Retrofitting taps with inexpensive aerators and low-flow restrictors reduces baseline daily water use.
Prepare emergency protocols: Maintain an accessible stock of bottled water for essential drinking and handwashing. Establish clear communication chains to notify staff, students, and parents swiftly if local network maintenance occurs.
Hospitality (hotels, pubs, restaurants)
Smart kitchen and housekeeping practices: Create an awareness to catering and housekeeping teams about low-water prep and cleaning techniques and tools. Ensure commercial dishwashers and washing machines are operated exclusively on full, eco-mode cycles rather than half-loads.
Be efficient outdoors: Under the current restrictions, remember to swap your hosepipes on outdoor patios, decking, and dining areas for buckets, or upgrade to high-efficiency pressure washers with automatic shut-off triggers.
Keep emergency water reserves: Maintain stock of bottled water to maintain basic hygiene and food prep during peak trade periods.
Leisure (gyms, spas, sports clubs)
Define critical thresholds: Calculate the minimum water volume required to safely operate essential customer amenities, such as changing room showers and toilets, during busy bank holiday crowds.
Invest in alternative supply and recycling: Explore greywater recycling or rainwater capture for high-volume non-potable uses like toilet flushing or groundskeeping. Partner with accredited external suppliers to arrange contingency water bowsers for critical heating, cooling, or pool top-up systems if needed.
Summer isn’t over yet! We’ve got more tips about managing water use during hot and dry spells on our website.
Make water-saving easy in your workplace
Saving water isn’t just about lowering utility bills – it’s about embedding sustainability into the everyday rhythm of your workplace. Every tap left running, unaddressed leak, or forgotten eco-setting adds up quickly. By bringing quick, visual cues into high-traffic areas, you can turn passive awareness into active habits across your entire team and customer-base.
We’ve created a series of downloadable workplace water-saving posters and stickers designed to help you build a lasting culture of saving water:
Engage your team daily: Positioned right where actions happen – kitchens, toilets, and staff rooms – these bright visual nudges prompt immediate behavior changes, like turning off taps completely and reporting drips promptly.
Boost your green credentials: Demonstrating a commitment to resource efficiency strengthens your green goals and shows staff, visitors, and clients that your business actively walks the talk on sustainability.
Tailored for your brand: Want to make these assets feel like a natural part of your business communications? We offer the option to co-brand these posters and stickers with your company logo, ensuring your sustainability messaging remains seamlessly aligned with your corporate identity. Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss how we can co-brand the designs.
Empower your team to make every drop count.
Download your water saving posters here.
How to care for your garden during a Temporary Use Ban
Whether you manage a pub garden, school grounds, hotel lawn, or restaurant patio, outdoor spaces are vital to your business. They welcome customers and boost well-being. During periods of dry weather and Temporary Use Bans (TUBs), maintaining vibrant green spaces requires smart, water-efficient care – allowing your landscapes to continue to thrive.
How you can water your plants
A Temporary Use Ban does not mean your planting projects or garden upkeep must come to a halt. Many efficient watering techniques remain permitted under current guidance:
Drip and soaker irrigation: Systems connected to a timer and pressure-reducing valve deliver water directly to the root zone with minimal waste.
Hand watering: Using handheld watering cans or buckets are permitted.
Harvested rainwater: Water butts and rainwater collection systems can supply irrigation setups or manual watering.
New planting exemptions: Qualifying newly planted trees, hedging, and turf can still be watered under specific guidelines.
Identifying drought stress early
Newly planted trees, shrubs, and display plants take time to establish roots and are particularly susceptible to dry conditions, hot weather, and wind. Watch for these key signs of stress:
Wilting foliage or premature leaf drop.
Leaves curling or turning brown/yellow at the edges.
Branch dieback, bark splits, or noticeably dry surrounding soil.
Practical tips to help gardens thrive
Apply bark and mulch: Spread a 5–7cm layer of mulch or bark around root zones to retain moisture, cool roots, and suppress weeds. Keep mulch slightly away from plant stems and trunks to prevent rot.
Water early or late: Water during early morning or evening hours when temperatures are cooler to drastically reduce evaporation loss.
Water deeply and slowly: Focus water around the entire canopy drip line rather than just the trunk. Deep, slow watering encourages deep root growth, making plants far more resilient to future drought.
Weed regularly: Remove competing weeds from flowerbeds and containers so essential moisture and nutrients go straight to your main plants.
By taking these simple, water-wise steps today, you can keep your commercial green spaces looking their best while helping protect our region’s vital water supplies.
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