On Mon, 12 Mar 2012 23:47:49 -0000, Rod Speed wrote:
Lieutenant Scott wrote
John Williamson wrote
Lieutenant Scott wrote
John Williamson wrote
The UK is the 74th wettest country in the world, with on average about half the rainfall of Australia. We even get
less rain than Germany.
I find it hard to believe Australia is wetter than here.
1,304mm per year in Canberra, and 762mm per year in London. (1931 - 1960 averages)
Obviously some bits of the UK are wetter, but it's not much over 1500mm per year, even in the lake district.
Anyone who lives in Australia will tell you they get the sun all the time!
Not those in Tasmania they wont. Its even more of a soggy little island than yours.
I meant mainland Australia, not the outposts.
The age of the water mains doesn't help, with the latest estimates
still showing about 20% of the water in London never getting to
the consumers' taps, but that's more due to lack of investment by
the government over the last five or six decades than the
incomepetence of the water boards.
Also most water does not go through dams. We must be using a very small proportion of the water that rains.
It depends how you define use. Every gallon of Thames water gets used (drunk and flushed down the drain or washed in,
then repeat the cycle) on average four times before it finally gets into the sea.
I heard it was seven.
So they clearly dont need much in the way of dams there.
Other parts of the South East use boreholes, which tap into the water layer below the London clay, so the water used
is fossil water that fell on the North and South Downs a few Centuries ago.
This is a crazy idea surely?
Nope.
Creating a big gap underground.
Nope.
And using something which is not available forever.
It gets recharged.
You said "is fossil water that fell on the North and South Downs a few Centuries ago".
Merseyside and Birmingham use dams in Wales with Merseyside using the Lake District as well, the Potteries area uses
dams in the peak district, and Yorkshire's water mainly comes from the Pennines by various routes.
Most water use in the UK, though, is for agriculture, and the vast majority of that is rain directly onto the crops.
You don't often see irrigation being used, especially in comparison with parts of mainland Europe.
I'm sure there are plenty natural rivers that just flow straight out to sea. There are in Scotland anyway. I don't
think the Tay is used much at all.
The main problem with water supply and use in the UK is the vastly
disproportionate number of people living in the driest areas. About
half the population of the UK lives within 60 miles of Charing Cross.
They shouldn't. I detest cities and can't understand someone wanting to live all crammed together like that. And
they pay more for the privilege!
They are probably still scarred of you hairy legged savages in dresses.
Even the romans were.
We only wear those for the tourists.
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