This week, the Saving Water in Scotland network (SWS) met at the Royal Society of Edinburgh to prepare an action plan to safeguard Scotland’s water supply from future droughts in the face of climate change. The event was chaired by Maureen Macmillan MSP, Convener, Scottish Parliament Environment and Rural Development Committee built on the conclusions drawn from the previous SWS meeting – ‘action on water efficiency needs to be taken now to prevent stresses on Scotland’s water supply similar to those experienced in the South-East of England.’

‘Although the water supply in Scotland is not currently under threat, climate change could mean there will be a problem in the future if action is not taken now. Simple behavioural changes should be made now to prevent long term water shortages in the future’, says Jacob Tompkins, Director of Waterwise, organisers of the event. ‘Long term planning will achieve the highest water efficiency at the lowest cost to consumers.’

‘Scottish Water has been given a series of very challenging targets for leakage reduction during the first four years of its current investment programme and, where practical, all SW's non-household businesses in Scotland will have a meter installed in their premises by March 2008.’ says Sarah Boyack, MSP, Deputy Environment Minister. ‘I believe that there is more that can be done to conserve water and I welcome the discussion today on how we can work together to achieve this goal. Conserving water does not just make financial sense it makes environmental sense too.’

Today’s meeting included discussion of how to make water efficiency easier for the consumer, as well as building homes that waste less water.

In the last two decades, consumption of water has risen by around six percent for every member of the population due to changes in household size and changes in usage patterns. At the same time changes in the Scottish climate have become more extreme meaning pressures on supply through more extreme floods and droughts. In 2004, Scottish Water had to take actions to augment the supply in Dundee after an unusually long, dry spell saw a dramatic fall in the levels of the reservoir which supplies the city.

The event was hosted by Logica CMG whose recent research shows that consumer attitudes to water use in Scotland are very similar to those in England.

Saving water makes good economic sense and has environmental and social benefits too. There are many ways to be water efficient this winter:

• Energy bills are higher in the winter with colder and stormier weather. Saving water in your home not only saves water but saves you money on your energy bill. Try taking a shorter shower which saves water and in turn saves energy.

• Ensure your pipes are properly insulated this winter. Burst pipes can waste lots of water and cost you water, money, time and lots of aggravation.

• Think about buying a water butt to collect the rain in the winter. Incidentally, larger rainwater butts, known more commonly as rainwater harvesting can be plumbed into your toilets and washing machines.

• In cities, more people are starting to pave their front gardens to make space for parking cars. This causes increased rainwater runoff and flooding which does not filter down into the groundwater supplies. If you are thinking of paving over your front garden, why not think about:
o Collecting your rainwater runoff in a rainwater tank

o Leaving areas where rainwater can infiltrate ie: flower beds, gravel or by using permeable hard surfaces.