Hosepipe Ban

Water companies often blame the low level of the aquifer or groundwater levels as one of the reasons for having a hosepipe ban. But what on earth is an aquifer?

An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, silt, or clay) from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. Typically an aquifer is where an old fashioned well would draw its water from. Some water companies in Southern England claim to need to draw up to 70% of their water from aquifers.