The Anonymous Widower

Exceptionally Low River Levels Raise Fears Over Water Supplies

The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the BBC.

This is the sub-heading.

Many of the UK’s rivers have hit exceptionally low levels and that could worsen in the next three months, according to the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH), raising questions over supplies to households, farmers and businesses.

These three introductory paragraphs add more details.

The warning comes after the driest spring in England since 1961, with northern regions experiencing the driest start to the year in nearly a century.

Almost all of the UK is expected to have below normal or low river levels in May, apart from the south-west of England.

The Environment Agency has said that the UK is at medium risk of drought and warned households of the risk of water restrictions.

In the 1970s, I was involved in a marginal way, in the planning of the water supply network in the UK, by the then Water Resources Board. My software called SPEED was used to solve the hundreds of differential equations involved.

Since the 1970s, I have felt, that as water supply in the UK has been fairly good, that the engineers, planners and mathematicians of the Water Resources Board didn’t do a bad job.

I don’t think, I can remember a period as long as this without rain.

I am drinking heavily to keep hydrated and I’m already today on my second bottle of Adnams Ghost Ship 0.5 % Beer.

But it just seems to go straight out through my skin, which I talked about in My Strange Skin.

I am Jewish in my father’s male line and Huguenot in my mother’s, so I have lots of ancestors, who lived in poor living conditions. So did Darwinian selection produce my leaky skin, that also heals itself quickly, in the harsh living conditions.

But on the other hand does it make me dehydrated all the time? And also create lots of red spots all over my body?

It’s not something new, as I can remember feeling this this as a child and helping my mother to count all the spots.

I hope that I will be fine, when we get some rain.

May 14, 2025 - Posted by AnonW | Environment, Health | Adnams Ghost Ship 0.5% Beer, Huguenot, Judaism, My Skin, Water, Water Resources Board, Weather