NI Water is urging the public to continue to use water wisely throughout autumn and winter following the Environment Agency’s ‘Drought prospects for spring 2026’ report which was published today.

The report warns that drought conditions in England are expected to continue into 2026, highlighting that we can never become complacent with our water supply.

NI Water says it’s a timely reminder following on from this year’s Household Water Usage in Northern Ireland 2024/25 report which showed consumers here perhaps underestimate their true water footprint. 

The Household Water Usage in Northern Ireland 2024/25 report showed many people are using more water than they perhaps realise. The results show 45% say their shower lasts between two and five minutes, so more than half are taking longer showers with 13% saying their shower lasts more than ten minutes.  When asked how often they use a washing machine, more than a quarter (27%) say they use it every day. Coupled with the daily use of water for brushing teeth, cooking and cleaning, it soon adds up. NI Water records show water consumption per person is increasing and is now more than 160 litres per day. The water company is reminding people to be aware of how they use their water, and how small changes can make a big difference to overall water consumption. 

NI Water’s Head of Water Strategy Thomas Gardiner said: “While it may feel like it hasn’t stopped raining recently, rainfall over the autumn and winter months is vital to make sure we are ready for next summer. The Met Office declared summer 2025 the hottest since records began in 1884, while spring 2025 was the driest in 132 years. This serves as a timely reminder that although we live in what feels like a water rich country, our water supply really cannot be taken for granted. 

“When you start to think about how much water you use per day - showering, flushing toilets, cleaning dishes, or tackling that mountain of washing - you start to realise just how important water is.  We can all play our part to make sure we have enough water in our reservoirs for when it’s needed most. Every little bit of water you can save all year long really does matter.”

Some water saving tips from NI Water:

• Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth - a running tap can use 6 litres of water per minute. Use a timer while brushing your teeth to ensure you don’t waste any extra water too. You can also use a shower timer to avoid extra water being used
• Use a bowl for washing vegetables - then you can reuse this water for plants
• Make full use of your washing machine and dishwasher - half load programmes use more than half the water and energy of a full load, so wait until the machine is full before switching it on
• Fix leaking taps - A dripping tap can waste more than 60 litres of water per week
• Keep a jug of water in the fridge - instead of letting the tap run cold. NI Water recommends water in the fridge needs to be changed every day or used within 24 hours

Ends

Notes to editors

• Further information on today’s Environment Agency ‘Drought prospects for spring 2026’ report can be found online via Executive summary and acknowledgements: Drought prospects for spring 2026 - GOV.UK
• The Household Water Usage factsheet 2024/25 (published on Tuesday 30th September 2025) is a report produced by the Analysis, Statistics and Research Branch (ASRB) of the Department for Infrastructure (DfI), and presents findings from the 2024/25 Continuous Household Survey (CHS). The publication is available on the Water Usage Research webpage.
• NI Water offers a free online water audit tool via www.getwaterfit.co.uk to help households understand their water usage habits better. It offers personalised feedback on how to save water along with some water saving challenges you can take at home, as well as offering free NI Water water saving items including shower timers, toothy timer and loo strips.
• NI Water recently published its Water Resource Plan https://www.niwater.com/managing-northern-irelands-water-resources/ showing how it will manage and develop water resources to make sure there is enough water to meet future supply needs. This also sets out how NI Water will maintain water supplies during critical periods such as severe winters and droughts and having a plan for drought.