Largely exempting commercial greens such as golf courses and bowling greens from hosepipe bans makes it harder for the general public to change their habits, water efficiency experts suggested.
They have called on commercial sports clubs to play their part in conserving water amid concerns of more hosepipe bans after a drought was declared for eight areas in England on Friday.
“Whether there is a hosepipe ban or not, everybody needs to be saving water – that’s all of us at home and work,” Nicci Russell, the managing director of Waterwise told i.
“This is really serious – water scarcity is an issue right across the UK, right here right now, not just in a few decades time.
“If you’re a community living around a [sports] club and your grass is golden, if you’re surrounding a golf course with perfectly green lawns, it gives people pause… it makes it harder for people to want to change their own habits if they don’t feel everybody is pulling their weight. “
Five water companies have announced hosepipe bans for households in response to the severely hot and dry conditions, with the possibility of more to follow.
Southern Water introduced a hosepipe ban for households in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight from 5 August, while South East Water’s ban for customers in Kent and Sussex began on Friday.
Welsh Water has announced a ban for households in Pembrokeshire and a small part of Carmarthenshire from 19 August. Yorkshire Water said its ban will come into effect from August 26, while Thames Water, which has 15 million customers in London and the Thames Valley, expects to implement a ban in the coming weeks.
The ban seeks to reduce water usage in people’s homes by restricting, for example, the watering of plants and gardens by hosepipe, but there are exemptions for commercial customers of the water companies.
South East Water says bowling clubs and golf courses can use a hosepipe to water the playing area for sport or recreation “when undertaken outside of daily peak hours that occur 8am to 10am and 5pm to 9pm”.
Southern Water says bowling greens, tennis clubs, sports grounds and golf courses are affected by the hosepipe ban unless they are hosting a regional, national or international event. But they are allowing them to water key areas.
“We appreciate the importance of not letting critical playing surfaces become damaged, so the watering of a key playing area is permitted only, for instance cricket squares, golf greens, bowling greens, tennis courts. Watering other parts using a hosepipe or sprinkler is not permitted.”
Dr Barnaby Dobson, an expert in water resources modeling at Imperial College London, explained that some golf courses get their water from independent suppliers so they do not fall under the hosepipe ban.
In cases where the water ultimately comes from public supply, he said it would be “sensible” for the golf course to follow the hosepipe ban.
“If, however, the supply comes from somewhere that is not shared with public water supply, then I suppose it is less critical,” he said.
“I would caveat all this with those golf courses taking water under a license, and provided they are operating within their license, then legally they are doing nothing wrong. If we think they should follow stricter rules during a drought, then it is ultimately [water regulators] who need to ensure this when their licenses are renewed.”
Following the declaration of the drought, pressure is mounting on everyone to avoid wasting water.
Professor Hannah Cloke, a natural hazards researcher at the University of Reading, said: “I know cricket is sacred in England and I know the whole point of golf is to get on ‘the green’, but I think everyone needs to play their part to conserve water use.
“Many sports clubs use their own boreholes or reservoirs rather than mains water to water the grass, but even that can have an impact on the environment, as pumping groundwater further reduces the water table.
“I would hope green keepers and grounds staff follow the best advice about when to water, only watering areas that they need to. It does seem crazy to sprinkle drinking water over sports pitches that don’t need it, when others are facing severe shortages.”
Amanda Caton, director of communications for the Consumer Council for Water, said the declaration of drought “is a clear call to action for everyone to use our precious water resources wisely”.
“Although businesses won’t be facing water restrictions at this stage, we all need to play our part in saving water, especially at times like this given the impact the current weather conditions are having on the environment and the agricultural sector.”