New research reveals that 86% of people living in Devon and Cornwall are more mindful of saving water as the region remains in official drought status following one of the driest periods for 130 years.

However, 99% of the region’s residents couldn’t correctly identify how much water they use each day on average. The majority(1) said they had no idea how much water they are using each day, with around 1 in 10(2) believing that they use less than 40 litres a day. The actual average use is almost four times that at 150 litres a day. That is the equivalent to 600 cups of tea each and every day.

As reservoir levels across the South West remain extremely low, customers, visitors and businesses are being urged to reduce their water usage as the sustained and significant rainfall required to recharge the reservoirs is not currently forecasted. 

Residents across the region are already taking steps to save water, including turning off the tap when brushing their teeth (66%) and taking shorter showers (60%). Over half of people (59%) would fix a leaking tap to ensure water wasn’t wasted.

These small steps can make a big difference:

  • Cutting shower time by just 1 minute across the South West, would save over 16 million litres a day. That’s enough water to supply over 100,000 additional people each day
  • Simply turning off the tap when brushing your teeth can save approximately 9,000 litres a year. That's the equivalent of 37,000 cups. Or enough water to shower almost 100 times
  • A dripping tap wastes around 5,500 litres of water a year

But with continued pressure on the region’s water resources people living in or visiting the South West are being urged to redouble their efforts and do all they can to reduce the amount of water they use.

Dr Lisa Gahan, Director Responsible for Water Resources at South West Water, said:

“Thank you to everyone who has already taken steps to reduce their water usage across our region. However, with no sustained and significant rainfall currently forecasted, it is absolutely crucial that people living in or visiting the South West, do everything they can to reduce the amount of water they use.

“Our teams are out fixing more leaks than ever before, including repairing customer leaks for free, and speaking directly with customers to share water-saving advice and devices. So far this year we have given more than 45,000 free water-saving devices to customers ranging from water butts to flow-reducing shower heads.”

Day to day activities around the house can use a lot of water from 50 litres a cycle on a washing machine and up to 9 litres every time you flush the loo, to using 14 litres for a dishwasher cycle or even 30 litres for handwashing dishes.

South West Water is also doing more now than ever to help secure supply, from finding and fixing more leaks than ever before, investing in moving water around our water grid to investing in new reservoirs in our region.