Water is a very precious resource that is often taken for granted. It is not as abundant as you might think. Of all the water in the world, only 3% is fresh. Less than one third of 1% of this fresh water is available for human use. The rest is frozen in glaciers or polar ice caps, or is deep within the earth, beyond our reach. To put it another way, if 100 litres represents the world's water, about half a tablespoon of it is fresh water available for our use. On average each person in the UK currently uses about 150 litres of water every day and much of this is wasted.

Water is not as abundant in England and Wales as you would think. We only have 1,334 cubic metres (m³) per person a year – much less than France with 3,065 m³ or even the hotter Mediterranean countries of Italy (2,785 m³) and Spain (2,775 m³). South East England has even less water per person due to its high population density and relatively low rainfall. The Thames Valley has only 266m³. With the average person in England and Wales using about 150 litres of water every day (mostly washing and toilet flushing) it is not hard to imagine that a drop in water levels will impact our daily lives considerably.

Dry winters have the biggest impact on water resources. Winter rain tops up groundwater supplies whilst summer rain only helps reduce water consumption as we don’t have to water our gardens or wash our cars. Saving water will make sure that the water we do get lasts. Water shortages don’t just affect us: they can also seriously harm our environment. Our water comes from rivers and groundwater so every drop we use has a direct effect on the environment. Fish, wetland birds and other wildlife that rely on ponds, rivers and streams struggle to survive when these dry up or run low. Sources of food and breeding sites for wildlife can be lost and fish can die through lack of oxygen.

The British Government hopes, through the introduction of water meters in 80% of English homes before 2020, to reduce the average personal water consumption from 149 liters a day down to 130 liters per person per day. Statistics have shows that homes with water meters use on average 15% less water than households without water meter. Households without a water meters are charged at the home's rateable value.