Welsh Water has declared a drought developing zone after a drier than expected period between March and May
18:47, 12 Jun 2025Updated 19:00, 12 Jun 2025
Llyn Hir, one of the Teifi Pools in Mid Wales(Image: Gayle Marsh)
Residents in parts of mid Wales could be facing a hosepipe ban within weeks as Welsh Water declares a ‘drought developing zone’ due to dry weather. The Teifi Pools area of south and mid Ceredigion has seen less rainfall than expected between March and May, resulting in reservoir levels being 31% lower than the same period last year.
These reservoirs provide water to 32,000 properties in Ceredigion, as well as parts of northern Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire. Welsh Water has warned that “temporary use bans” could be implemented soon, depending on upcoming rainfall levels.
‘Drought developing’ is the second of five stages Welsh Water uses to measure drought levels, but it does not restrict customers’ water usage. Stay informed on Carms news by signing up to our newsletter here.
However, if reservoir water levels do not improve over the coming weeks, Welsh Water may have to escalate to stage three and issue temporary water use bans.
Currently, the mid and south Ceredigion network area is the only part of Wales under these conditions. Should it become necessary to move to drought status, Welsh Water would write to customers explaining the situation.
The company has already taken measures to conserve water in the area, including conducting work to locate and repair water leaks. Customers are being encouraged to use water sparingly, as transferring water from reservoirs across Wales is not a viable option.
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has raised the alert to “prolonged dry weather” status for all of Wales in May. This comes after the driest March since 1944, which saw most river flows at notably low levels.
Marc Davies, Welsh Water’s director of water services, said: “We are giving our customers early warning moving to ‘Developing Drought’ status for Mid and South Ceredigion as we want to prevent further restrictions later in the year.
“With record low rainfall levels in recent months, water levels in our reservoirs are below where they would usually be at this time of year.
“Following such a dry period, unless we see a period of sustained rainfall in the area with good amount of rain, it’s essential that we all help preserve the supplies in our reservoirs and rivers.
“We are grateful to customers for their help. We’re not asking people not to use their water, we’re just asking them to use the water they need but avoid wasting it.
“As well as asking customers to do their bit, we are doing ours by working around the clock to make sure we do everything we can to get as much treated water into the system and our teams are out and about fixing 700 leaks per week across our operating area.
“Working together is the best way we can protect drinking water supplies.”
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