Scottish Water working round the clock to maintain supplies in Dornoch area as soaring temperatures lead to rise in demand
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Scottish Water is reminding people in the Dornoch area to use water efficiently as demand has increased by 20 per cent amid soaring temperatures and the holiday period.
The publicly-owned utility is having to produce more than 200 million litres of extra water per day nationwide to maintain normal supplies - enough water to fill 100 Olympic-sized swimming pools or 2.4 million baths.
In Inverness, Dornoch and the Black Isle, it is working round the clock to provide an additional 10 million litres of water per day in an effort to maintain normal supplies.
This includes tankering water into the network at Dornoch Water Treatment Works and Glenconvinth Water Treatment Works in the Beauly area and modifying the network on the Black Isle.
Kes Juskowiak, Scottish Water’s water operations general manager, said: "We are appealing to our customers across Inverness, Dornoch and the Black Isle to use water as efficiently as they can.
"These are very challenging conditions because of the warm, dry weather we’ve been experiencing.
"Water levels in our reservoirs are at 74 per cent. This is a fall from 77 per cent last week and from 90 per cent in late May.
"Current levels are below average for this time of year but the main issue is demand for water from customers which has increased considerably during the warm weather.
"It’s not isolated to one group but rather is the result of how we all use water in warm weather, particularly in the garden.
"When garden water use increases dramatically, for things like sprinklers and paddling pools, that places considerable strain across our infrastructure to move the water as quickly as the customers need it.
"We are working hard to support the increase in tourism across these parts of the Highlands and elsewhere in Scotland, but we are asking all our customers to be more water efficient and aware of how the use water.
"If people in Inverness, Dornoch and the Black Isle – residents and visitors or holidaymakers – can take some small, simple steps to reduce their water use, they can make a big contribution towards our efforts to maintain normal supplies for everyone."
Suggested measures include:
Use a watering can instead of a garden hose because hoses and sprinklers can use about 1000 litres per hour – more than the equivalent of 12 baths.
Don’t use jet washers which use an average of 36 litres of water.
Don’t use paddling pools, which use an average of 400 litres of water (if pools are used try quarter filling them and using the water to water your garden afterwards).
Turn the tap off when brushing teeth.
Use washing machines and dishwashers only when fully loaded.
Scottish Water posts facts, tips and activities on social media to raise awareness about why we need to save water and more information on saving water is available at www.scottishwater.co.uk/your-home/save-water
Related story:Highland water warning
