02/05/2012 Inside Out West Midlands

Tonight, we investigate what is going on with England's water. Here,

there is a surplus of water. If they need it, why can't they use

it? It is your family you are supporting by extracting this water.

A what is the true story about our weather? How can hour when the

country have a dry out? All of that rain still has not

replenished our hidden underground water supply is.

And even after the last month's rain, the Environment Secretary

tells us we need more to guarantee there will not be standpipes in our

streets. The whereas it is unlikely we will

have standpipes this year, if we have another try winter, it becomes

more likely. The this is all coming up on

It certainly was an April of showers. Despite the downpours, our

region, with many others, is officially in a drought. Here in

the West Midlands, a major supplier has more water than its customers

need. If we have so much, how can we be running short?

Right now it might feel like it has not stopped raining but in the

Midlands, we have had precious little rain in the last two years

and the level of our grand water and rivers have plunged. Officially,

we are in drought. The Environment Agency has added

the Midlands and the South West of England to the area has already

affected. So why is the biggest company

offering to sell other water? I thought I'd try it meant we did

not have enough water. -- a drought. So who does not have enough and too

has too much and why cant those with too much give it to those that

need it? Dr Chapman works that they weather

Centre. This is a consequence of the jet

stream moving slightly north. It is crucial to the climate in this

country. Does that mean that Scotland, for

example, is getting our rain? This is where the regional

disparities as a whole. In 2011, the country did receive the average

rainfall but it was where it was falling - in the far north and west,

and far away from the areas of high population.

So, this is an environment whole trout and is directly linked to the

black -- lack of rainfall in the Midlands.

We have built up a big debt in the last two years and one month of

over average rainfall will not repay that. It could take up to six

months of above-average rainfall. So, it could take a long time to

get back where we should be. But why can Severn Trent sell our

water? Where does seven Trent get it

water? Why do you have so much? have sources around the Midlands.

We take water from Wales. We have reservoirs in the Derwent Valley.

And we have about 10 reservoirs dotted around. The key thing is

that all of these systems are connected and we can move water

around the region when we need to. Because we have enough water in the

right places, we have enough for our customers' needs and we have a

small surplus. We have offered that first of all to our colleagues in

East Anglia to see if they can make use of the 30 million litres per

day, that small surplus that we have. Can you be sure that we will

not need is what on ourselves? first priority is to make sure we

have enough rest -- water in our reservoirs to satisfy our

customers' needs. We are satisfied of that position and we will

double-checked before we supply water to Anglian Water. A inside

Staffordshire, Welsh Water have also confirmed that we have

sufficient water stocks. It appears our domestic suppliers are safe for

now. Who is being affected? Our agricultural industry. Farmers like

this man, the level of rain they get can make or break their

business. This is one of your main water sources? Yes, we have four

miles of frontage with the seven. It is easy to derogate from because

we can put the pump near the edge and bring the power over the top of

the Bank. And this is potatoes? There are some underground pipes.

But he cannot just help himself to this water. Like all farms, the

amount he can take and when is controlled by the Environment

Agency. At the moment, we know there is a drought. Is that having

an impact? It is having an impact on my ability to extract from the

Avon and from the seven. I have to inform the Environment Agency every

morning to check there is sufficient flow to extract. But if

Severn Trent has too much water, why can they not supply that to our

farmers. All licences are issued by the water -- environment Agency and

there are conditions about when the water drops below a given level.

are under the same requirements as the farmers. In the future, it is

possible that the licensing regime could become less bureaucratic and

more flexible and we might be able to help provide water for former's

in the future. At the moment, the licensing regime is quite difficult

to operate and quite slow. So you could not help farmers even if you

wanted? Of Anglican water did not want that water supply, at the

moment, the farmers would still have to apply to the Environment

Agency to see if they could it -- take the water but it is not easy

because of the regulatory regime. As it is the environment agency

that regulates these licences, what are they doing to help farmers?

have pressed the system as far as recant in terms of what we can

legally do. We have looked at allowing them to take higher floors

and the summer. We have tried to be as flexible as we can and if a

farmer starts having trouble in terms of the licensing regime, if

they taught was, we will see them on a case to case basis.

farmers trying to cope with the drought, is there anything farmers

would like to see government on the environment Agency doing? I think

there is a nervousness about sitting down with the Environment

Agency with the fear that they don't quite understand that the

amount of water we take out is only 1% of our water usage. It is such a

small percentage and to the individual are extracting that

water, it could be a make-or-break of their business. That makes it

very difficult to sit down with an official who you feel does not

understand your situation. But it seems that even the Environment

Agency has their hands are tied by a system that cannot cope with

modern weather patterns and demand for water. I think we are happy to

say that the system we have going for would probably needs to be more

flexible. You are working on doing that. Is it going as smoothly and

quickly as the agency would like? There is a need to consult, we've

got to be more flexible but it is not easy to change a system that

has been in place over 50 years and it has built up in terms of how

farmers use their land and how much is available for the environment.

It will be a long process to change those legal entitlements into

something new. If you are going to give someone extra water, you have

to take it away from somewhere, either another abstract or or the

environment. Despite having one of the wettest April on record, the

system as it stands does not always allow was to get that water to

where it is needed. Whilst you and I might have planned to of water

for Mullah Homes and Gardens this summer, if the dry weather

continues, others might not be so lucky. It is your livelihood that

you are supporting. An individual in a large organisation will step -

- still get paid whether you have the water or not. What about the

rest of the country? How serious has it become? We asked a

meteorologist to take a trip through England from the wettest

area as to the driest and there were some myths to explore along

The latest trick is England's wettest place and looking below,

the work tried is the last thing that comes to mind. There are

reservoirs with billions of litres of water. With all of this, how

come so much of England is in drought? The Met Office is looking

into what is behind this apparent change in our climate. The first

place they are looking is the jet stream that carries the way in --

reign bedding weather fronts. jet stream has tended to be further

north. By the time it get to those parts of England, it is running

into a high pressure and it is not doing the job that we hope, which

is to dump a decent amount of rain and top up the water's in the

aquifers. At this time of year we are competing with nature for water.

Everywhere is competing. Cabal everywhere around us is turning

green and the river is starting to fill up, what you don't see in some

parts of the country is even more important, and that is under ground.

His is the water underground, not reservoirs, that supply 75% of the

most populated parts of England. 170 miles south and I am in drought

country, in the East Midlands. I am visiting the National Geological

Survey in Nottingham where they constantly monitor the level of

tried water. Using data from thousands of boreholes, they have

created an underground map of Britain. The areas in green, the

top, in this out of Britain and up into Lincolnshire, it is a very

important aquifer. It is only be charged by rainfall in the winter

and we have had two relatively dry winters so we have not had the

recharger we would expect. Groundwater of Nat -- and water

levels have remained normal in the North but as you drop further south,

they have dropped by up to a third. And the last two years, only four

months have been more wet than normal. To find out how low our

ground water stocks are, I joined a Along the, the most important

source of ground water, the chalk aquifer. Today we found out how far

we have to go down to find that of water. It is effectively a giant

pressurised sponge full of water which the Victorians tapped with

Welles liked this one. The water would normally be about 20 metres

below ground level. How far down are we? The King promising. I can

see a reflection towards the bottom of the well but we are only about

30 metres below where we started. Before long, we pass the point

where we would normally find water. You're seeing really dry walls so

if there was any moisture, the walls would be listening.

Even though it has been pouring with rain, that rained down here

has not made any difference yet. would take weeks or months for the

water to infiltrate but it will be taken up by the plants. A we're

coming up to 34 metres. That is the surface of the water. We have 180

years of records. This is the fifth or sixth digest we have seen it in

April. Pretty war. The last major drought was in 1976 win a dry

winter was followed by a hot summer. We're seeing save water, we are

going to need it. People are forced to get their water from standpipes.

This one is different. It is not hot and sunny but has been pouring

down with rain but we have been told there could be drought until

Christmas. No one is saying all this rain we're having is not

making a difference. We have had one of her wettest April's even

with flooding. That rain has not yet reached where many of us get a

water from it - the aquifers. What the Victorians started was expanded

to exploit natural resources on a big -- at bigger scale. This

aquifer is operated by South East Water provided -- supplying 2.1

million customers. Down there, that is the precious water. Hula the

aquifers? Are very serious situation. Other underground

aquifers are afraid I and people think things are fine when you look

at the reservoirs with the recent weather. We have pumps down to

levels they have never been to before. That means it is even worse

than 1976. I think it is worse and is far more widespread. Our

greatest fear is that we have a third dry winter. The level of the

charge in our groundwater is one- third lower than it should be after

two dry winters and a role. We have come a long way from the Lake

District and it seems to me and even further from that soaking rain

that has been falling above ground. Down here, it is winter rain that

matters and if we don't get enough in the next winter, we are all

Things could actually get worse if we have another dry winter. What

options do we have? Is there actually a strategy in place? Our

investigation began in a part of the world where there used to life

with little end. A place where we may bail to pick up some tips on

how to live with dry weather conditions.

-- able to pick up. This church has stood here in this

valley in northern Spain for 500 years but they shouldn't even be

able to be here because this is the bottom of a reservoir. That spire

is usually submerged under thousands of tons of water. The

reason it is so dry as Spain is going through its worst drought for

70 years. Reservoirs are drying out and forest fires have been raging

in parts of the country. Look at the water line here. What he had it

should be and how well it is. -- look how high it should be. Can

Spain give us a glimpse into an uncomfortable future?

Four years ago, the situation got so bad the taps and Barcelona up

almost ran dry and the City was forced to shed in supplies from

France. It is -- its 3.5 million residents have had to completely

change their attitudes towards water. I find it incredible that

something as simple as water had to be transported in tankers and to

Barcelona. What was that like? is the first as far as I know. It

never had to be carried through for a very long time but before that,

there was a sensation that it was not going to be easy, that if the

drought continued people would have to have water rations. How have you

adapted Julie still in the current climate where water is not as an

abundance? We became conscious of how pressure up -- precious water

is when you go about have emergency measures. The children talked about

it in school and they had an easier time adapting to turning the tap

off all the time and becoming the lot of police. Through simple

measures such as turning off taps and having time showers and

teaching water conservation and its schools, Barcelona is well on its

way to becoming one of the world's leading cities and saving water.

People here do we -- use just 107 litres a day compared to 150 in the

UK. Across the city, they have tried using waters from showers to

flush toilets as well as recycling the water and Barcelona's famous

fountains. It is not the first and what be the last time Barcelona has

faced the rout. That experience four years ago forced people to

change the way the think about what a run every level. This place was

the answer. They built this massive be salinisation plant, the largest

in Europe. By taking sea water from the Mediterranean, the plant can

produce 180 million litres of fresh water very day. That is still only

one fifth of the city's need so it is used as a stop gap. The system

is much more secure because of this plant. This is not total security.

The plant allows us time to function between rainy periods. If

there is that drought, the plant can produce more. After building

Europe's first be salinisation plant 40 years ago, it is now a

world leader in the technology. The water produced here is very

expensive than the Barcelona plant uses enough energy to power a small

town. Spain uses must -- most of its water for agriculture but we

use most of our sport our power stations. Around 40% of the rest is

used in homes and gardens but the problem is we used to much. As head

of water resources at the Environment Agency, it is Trevor

Bishop's job to try to find a solution. As turning salt water

into freshwater the answer? already have one big the

salinisation plant near London. The likelihood of more desalination

plants in England is quite high but you do not want to rely on de

Saloni -- desalination. It produces a lot of carbon. What a get moved

down here. Is it an option for water companies to transfer water

to drier parts? The Victorians tranced that -- started

transferring water around. In the future, moving water around the

even more with greater connectivity between the country's networks

could be part of the answer. Are we talking about a national grid of

water? As far as electricity is concerned, if somewhere is

generating electricity do not get Blackett and part of the country so

why should we have drought conditions in one part of the

country and not another? We're not talking about the National Grid in

the same way as electricity. What is difficult and expensive to move

and you do not want to rely on moving water around the country

exclusively. If desalination has problems and we shouldn't rely on

moving water, what is like to happen if we have deferred a dry

winter? We would be in a very bad place and we have never worked out

the consequences if the dry winters and a role. You would be expecting

measures to try to conserve water quite dramatically. There would be

standpipes in the streets and people's water supply would be cut

off. We don't know the numbers of people that would be involved but

it could be tens of thousands. As far as I am aware, there is no

strategic national plan to deal with three dry winters and a role.

I would like to be proven wrong in think we had a plan but I don't

know of one. I think our plan is based on hope that it rains and

hope is a very poor strategy for dealing with the risky and

important business. Is there a strategy are not?

Caroline Spelman is the Environment Secretary. Yes. We have to have

contingency plans and it is a natural phenomenon that can occur

at any time. We have been planning for it and what we're putting in

place now are the measures to deal with it. Things like the temporary

restriction on non-essential use each of what art is something that

we plan to do in order to conserve water and make sure we don't have

to move to more stringent restrictions later. 3.3 billion

litres of water, one quarter of that, is lost every day. Is that

acceptable? We have to encourage the water companies to reduce

leakage. Should the targets be more stringent? Germany lowest 10%.

is the economic regulator that sets targets but things are a challenge

to the industry to meet. Government is also pushing water

companies to do more to connect up supplies across the country.

Caroline Spelman says we need to think differently about the water

we use. When you go to a dry country and you explain to them

that in a country like ours, we used drinking water for everything

- we wash our clothes in it, flasher toilets with it, wash up

with it, they are sometimes quite surprised by that. Can you

guarantee that if we get a third dry winter we will not have water

rationing and standpipes? I am not deluded into thinking I can tell

you how much rain we are going to get. It is far too early to tell

whether we will have the wet winter we do need. Whereas it is most

unlikely that we will have standpipes this year, with another

dry winter, that becomes more likely.

Get in the recent heavy rain and floods in the UK, top of standpipes

may sound extraordinary but as they have discovered and Spain, the

world is changing. Climate change and an expanding population mean

demand for water is set to increase and even if the rains to come this

winter, we were all pretty soon have to think of drinking water as

the precious and scarce natural resource it really is.

David White claimed with some other options for the future. Just got

time for the weather story here in the West Midlands.

This April was the wettest the UK has seen in 100 years and the

region was no exception. Local geography plays a huge party and

our weather. Here in the West Midlands we are more prone to

thunderstorms and coastal regions. The hills provide shelter but river

valleys are prone to fog and frost. We are not immune to extreme

weather either. The last decade has seen drought, floods and even

Tornados. Forecasting up to two days ahead is pretty accurate.

Anything beyond five days is more unpredictable which is why we only

ever commit to a five-day forecast. Here is the next five days. Today

and tomorrow, cloudy with showers. Heavy rain overnight tonight and a

minimum of eight Celsius. Thursday sees more rain in southern

countries with their north becoming wetter in the afternoon. Freddie is

mainly dry with lot of cloud. Rain spread than for a wet afternoon and

a cool 12 Celsius. The weekend is colder with light frost. Saturday

and Sunday should remain dry but Bank Holiday Monday will see a

return of showers. That is all for tonight but back