Submitted by Alannah Killeen on
The UK ‘Hydrological Year’ or ‘Water Year’ starts at 09:00 GMT on the 1st of October. After October 1st, rainfall generally begins to recharge water reserves in the ground and in reservoirs once again, and the hydrological cycle moves from a time of losses to gains.
Where rivers are fast-flowing and responsive to rainfall, they enable reservoirs to be filled over winter. Likewise, where rivers are groundwater-dominated, the groundwater stored in chalk, limestone, and sandstone aquifers is slowly replenished over the winter by infiltrating rainfall.
We are now at that point in the calendar when water storage is at a minimum, especially due to the very dry summer, and the recharge begins. As the days get shorter and the weather wetter, you might feel like it is nearing the end of the year, but in hydrological terms, it’s just the beginning.
Happy New Water Year 2022/2023 from all at the NRFA!
