Water shortage is often sited as the reason to conserve water but in Swansea, which has the second highest rainfall in Britain, you may find that hard to swallow! Despite the apparent abundance of water in this part of the country, it takes a lot of energy and technology to bring it to us safe and clean to drink. Most of the water that is collected in and around the Swansea area is actually transported out of the area.
 
It is really clear just how dependent we are on this water during times of drought, when reservoirs get to dangerously low levels, forcing water companies to extract more from existing underground reservoirs which are not been refilled by rainfall and from rivers that are already running low. This puts huge pressure on wildlife like otters and butterflies as too much water is drained away. Low river levels also increase concentration of pollutants in the water, meaning there is less oxygen for the plant and animal life. As the population grows and plans for building new homes in the South East materialise, this will put even more pressure on our water resources. The construction of new reservoirs is not necessarily the answer - in often protected mountainous regions is costly and controversial and inflicts environmental damage. So now is the time to start practicing conserving water.

On the Trail...
The Pit Stop Car Wash is a commercial car wash. The water used in washing cars doesn't need to be as clean as drinking water so Jeremy Thorne, owner of the Pit Stop Car Wash, has devised an innovative way to avoid using mains tap water. The run off from washed cars is collected and processed through a series of settling tanks and a reed bed system which cleanses the water enough to reuse the water for more car washing. Jeremy also makes sure that the products he uses to clean the cars have no harmful chemicals in.
A car wash with a conscience!