Witheringly hot summer heat waves are now an annual occurrence in continental Europe, with temperatures in France, Germany, Italy, and Spain regularly topping 40°C. While we are often buffered from these temperature extremes in the UK by our Atlantic island location, we are by no means immune. High temperatures are becoming more frequent in the British Isles, too, putting a strain on our water network and increasing the risk of water scarcity.
The Environment Agency has warned that parts of the country could face severe water stress by 2030, with several regions projected to experience a supply-demand deficit if action is not taken, including the high population areas of South-East England, London, and the Midlands.
This systemic pressure has already prompted regulatory action. During the 2022 heat wave and drought – one of the driest periods in decades – six water companies introduced hosepipe bans affecting around 20 million people in England and Wales, highlighting how quickly water supply conditions can tighten and disrupt everyday activities. So far, these bans have mainly hit residential and non-essential usage, but commercial users would be foolish to consider themselves exempt from potential supply restrictions during future heat waves.
For wash operators that rely heavily on mains supply and have little to no resilience built into their systems, future drought triggers could have a severe operational impact.
In tandem with supply pressures, the financial cost of water is rising in the UK. Across the 2025 to 30 regulatory period, water companies are predicted to increase bills by an average of £31 a year before inflation, in order to fund investment in infrastructure and environmental improvements, as confirmed by Ofwat’s 2024 price review. For fleet operators and depot managers, the rising cost of water is amplified by trade effluent charges (fees for disposing of contaminated water), which are expected to increase as water companies upgrade their treatment capacity and tighten quality standards.
This double cost exposure, for both input and discharge, makes traditional ‘once through’ wash processes increasingly expensive, particularly compared to integrated recycling solutions that reduce your reliance on external water and sewerage costs.
Given these pressures, many fleet operators are looking at water reclamation in a new light, especially in terms of future proofing their operation. Essentially, water reclamation is the capture, treatment, and reuse of wash water within your facility itself, rather than allowing it to be lost to the sewer after a single pass. A typical reclamation process collects run-off from wash pads or sumps, passes it through settlement and filtration stages (and further treatment if necessary), and then reintroduces it to the wash line.
High throughput wash operations can significantly reduce their mains consumption through water reclamation. One wash wastewater study in a car wash setting, conducted over 22 weeks, measured reclamation of almost 70% of water used, with under 40 L of fresh water needed per wash. Another UK-based closed loop wash system was reported to recycle 99.5% of its wash water after optimisation.
If you’d like to discuss water reclamation with one of our experienced team, please give us a call today on 01789 339153, or email at sales@britanniawash.co.uk to send a message.
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