I’m sure I read somewhere that if you leave a bucket of tap water standing for a day or two the level of chemicals reduces. I think that was on something about filling fish ponds.

Yes, our weeping willow has been shedding leaves since June and now the walnut tree in the front garden has started to do the same. Picking them up is normally mostly an October-November activity. 

Any use?

June was a fourth consecutive dry month in Wessex. An average of 46mm, 76% of the long term average (LTA) fell across Wessex, largely during the first couple of weeks.

An average of 30mm of rain fell across Wessex in July (50% of the LTA). This is the fifth consecutive dry month, resulting in the second driest 5 month period (March to July) since records began in 1871 and the driest since 1976.  ... The lowest relative rainfall was recorded in Poole Harbour (39% of the LTA).

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-situation-local-area-reports/wessex-water-situation-july-2025-summary 

Be grateful for small mercies. I've recorded about 130mm since the beginning of March

About 5 inches in 6 months. 😮😮😮

Well not that far away , i am west of Fordingbridge on the edge of the Downland and Cranborne Chase. Yes we had a few showers but it is now so dry it needs sustained steady rainfall to do any good . I would say it is as dry as 76 round here .The grass maybe not quite as burnt off yet but the trees and hedges are yellowing and shedding leaves more than i remember in 76 .

 Any proper rain that appears in the forecast seems to vanish the next day . It will break in the end but who knows when?

Yes very low totals  in Wessex . The rain has been very much of the hit or miss variety rather than steady frontal rain so some micro areas have received very little.

I've been back down in the Taunton / Bridgwater area today and it's nearly 2 weeks since I was last here.

The drought is really apparent with many smaller trees and shrubs going brown and leaves falling from the trees. 

It's quite a sight and rather sad - another couple of weeks and I suspect that we may well see the big trees start to suffer more.

The local river was also as low as I've ever seen it.

Yes these last few hotter days have really finished things off whereas a couple of weeks ago with a few showers there were vestiges of green 

These trees are currently taking on an autumn colour display locally. I am omitting horse-chestnut as its suffering at the hands of bleeding canker as it's hard to see if the leaves are also drought-autumning.

Birch

Hazel

Field maple

Goat willow

Alder

Sycamore

Blackthorn

Hawthorn

Walnut

Oaks, rowans and beeches currently seem fine.

That's interesting on the Rowan, we have a Sorbus Olympic Flame that is turning already, I'll have to check the local Rowans on the common to see if they are following suit.

If it remains very dry through the coming weeks I suppose we could see some early frosts this autumn.

Seen a cherry turning now too, all yellow though, none of the lovely scarlet you get in October. And not all trees of a species seem to be turning- there are whole stands of perfectly green hazel in the nearby woods too. Trees on the edge of copses etc seem to be affected more, presumably because there is more sun on the soil so less moisture.

I’ve had only 2.4mm at the vineyard so far this month, after 201mm last month. The roads and puddles have long since dried up, but it’s still deep green. I was there yesterday and it comes as quite a shock to the system - you drive out of London across a parched Blackheath and along the M2 where everything looks classically Kent-summery, then head down the valley from Bridge and you’re in an emerald green landscape like you’d expect in mid May. 

We had a lot during first half of Spring with warm sunny day times so hope a repeat during Autumn. No drought here had too much rain and clouds to prevent parched landscapes.

Still no real sign of any significant rainfall from the models. This could end up being the driest August for quite a few years (perhaps since 1995?). Certainly here in the North West, there hasn't actually been many notably dry Augusts in the last 30 years.

we will be coming for your water 😅

https://youtu.be/JHDOoPRYG0A?t=14 

Yes, with the water it is the man made (although of course we are the producers of a massive amount of s*it every day) and inorganic chemicals that cause the problems. The organic matter breaks down naturally in water courses provided there is enough oxygen which of course there often isn't in heat waves and low flows. We used to dump all of the sewage sludge (mostly anaerobically pre-treated) out into the Barrow Deep off Clacton most of the post war period until about the 1990s. It was great fun going out on the "sludge boats" doing the sampling and subsequent lab testing of the Estuary and Sea Water. Because of the massive dilution it was hard to find any pollution and it was assumed in was basically a good feed for the fish and other marine microfauna. Of course the issue that was identified that the pre-treatment would break down a lot of nasties but not the heavy metals like cadmium, lead, mercury, nickel, copper etc all of which could be toxic above certain levels to marine life. Of course as the years went by these would build up and at the same time technology allowed us to detect micrograms/litre instead of milligrams/litre (parts per million). So it was stopped.  

Well the chemicals being the chlorine or chloramine which is also used. Not really any other chemicals that could harm fish in tap water or anybody really, unless they wanted to drink about 50l a day every day of their lives and even then they'd have more to worry about then any microcontaminants in the water. It also applies if the taste of the drinking water is down to the essential addition of chlorine. If you live close to the water treatment plant it is likely to have more in it than further away because it dissipates with time so it has to be allowed for in the pipework. So if you stand a jug of tap water overnight in the fridge it will taste a lot better in the morning if that bothers you. (I mean you as in the Royal "we"). Don't leave it too long before you drink it though because it will then become more vulnerable to bacteria like bottled water is.

But hosepipe restrictions might prevent that. I top up/freshen my ponds from time to time but they are not large and it's not more than a few minutes if that.

At the start of my career Wessex Water used to operate a sludge dump off the Bristol Channel like many other authorities. I wish I could find the booklet that extolled the virtues of this sludge dumping. How much we've learnt since then.

I also used to know someone deeply involved with this vessel once Southern Water had sold her. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Shieldhall 

I'm currently on holiday in my old stomping ground - the Isles of Scilly.

The drought here is quite apparent - all the grass is brown and shrivelled and many smaller shrubs are showing signs of distress too.

Water is a real concern for the islands - they rely predominantly on an aquifer (and a small desalination plant on St. Marys) and there's always the risk of salt water incursion if it gets too low particularly on the off islands. 

No rain for a month now and the weather has taken a turn for the worse giving the worst of both worlds. Temperatures down to 21-22C which would be great if it were sunny but last three days have had thick grey clouds and today a very strong NE wind, further scorching the ground and leaves and feeling unpleasantly cool. First jumper day since April I think!

I'll add to that. Even longer here for rain of any consequence. Quite an unpleasant day with the drying NE wind making the garden look like autumn. Actually it feels like autumn too. Fleece time.

Leaves dropping, twill be a long dark winter I fear. Yesterdays shower if you can call it that did nothing.

And the sub tropical gardens? How do they look?

I have to pick up the leaves that landed on my new lawn, they all look so crisp and dry, not known for that type as often fall whie very crisp.  that from the tree few naighbour doors away bringing in leaves here from the gale force easterly winds.  No drought here still greenery and no sun or heat to qualify that.  Real drought I last saw was 2018 and 1995 summers.