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It Rained. So Why Is England Still in Drought?

Sep 14
3 min read

Rain finally came to England. Quite a lot of it, in some places. During the first part of September, every region received rainfall. Rivers responded. Soil conditions improved. After a summer dominated by drought headlines and water restrictions, it might seem reasonable to think the pressure should finally be easing.


Except it isn’t. As of September 11, 10 areas of England remain officially in drought, with the rest classified as experiencing prolonged dry weather. Reservoir storage has fallen to 56.9% nationally — almost 20% below where it would normally be at this time of year.

Twelve reservoirs or reservoir groups are now less than half full. And water-use restrictions still affect roughly 30 million people. 


Which raises an interesting question: If it rains, why doesn’t the drought simply end?



Because Drought Isn't Just About Rain

A river can react quickly to a storm. A water system cannot. After months of dry weather, rain first has to replenish dry soils. Groundwater takes longer to recover. Reservoirs need sustained inflows. And at the same time, homes, farms and businesses continue using water.

That means a week of rain can make the landscape look dramatically different while the underlying water balance remains almost unchanged. England's latest figures show exactly that. River flows improved after recent rainfall, but groundwater levels are still declining seasonally and reservoir storage continues to fall in several areas.


It's a useful reminder that drought isn't really a weather event. It's a water-accounting problem. For months, more water leaves the system than enters it. One rainy week doesn't immediately repay the debt.


This Is What “Drought Resilience” Actually Means

That idea came up repeatedly at UNCCD COP17 in Mongolia last month. The conference did not produce the global drought framework many countries had hoped to finalize. Negotiations will continue toward COP18. But something important did happen. The discussion moved increasingly away from simply responding to drought emergencies and toward preparing for them before they happen.


COP17 launched the new Drought Resilience Investment Facility, intended to mobilize up to $400 million in public and private financing for areas including water security. It also introduced the world's first Drought Resilience Index, designed to help countries measure how well prepared they are to anticipate and adapt to drought.


In other words:

Don't wait until the reservoir is empty - build resilience while there is still water in it.


Infrastructure Has to Do More Than One Thing

England is now investing heavily in new water infrastructure. Construction is underway on Havant Thicket Reservoir — the country's first new major reservoir in more than 30 years — and another nine reservoirs and water-transfer projects are planned. Together, those projects are expected to provide around 700 million additional liters of water per day by 2050. 


That sounds enormous. Until you compare it with the projected need. Without action, England could face a public-water-supply shortage of as much as 5 billion liters every day by 2055. 

Additional demand is also expected from industries including energy and data centers.

That gap can't be solved with reservoirs alone.


It means:

  • Reducing leaks.

  • Using water more efficiently.

  • Storing water differently.


And increasingly, using non-potable or reclaimed water where drinking-quality water isn't actually required.


Last week, we looked at Corpus Christi and asked whether cities should make better use of wastewater before investing entirely in new water supplies. England's drought makes the same point from another direction. The answer probably isn't new supply or reuse. It's both.

New infrastructure where it is needed. Better use of existing infrastructure. And water reuse wherever the application allows it. Because resilience isn't about hoping next year brings more rain.

It's about designing a water system that can handle the years when it doesn't.


💧 Water Thought of the Week

Rain can end a dry day. It takes infrastructure to end a water deficit.


At Expiatech, we believe the future of water isn't finding more—it's making better use of the water we already have.


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