Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel may have to be evacuated after its water supplies dropped to their lowest ever level. Reservoir levels have fallen to just 13 per cent, forcing drastic measures, including shipping emergency water from the mainland and pumping water from ponds used by wildlife.
Historic threat to island community
Derek Green from the Landmark Trust, which manages the island, said: "We're thinking about having to evacuate – something that hasn't happened in the history of Lundy before. I never ever thought we'd have to take water from our ponds here. We are in real jeopardy here at the moment - unless it rains very, very soon."
The 3.1-mile-long island, home to 28 people, is rich with wildlife including puffins and seals. It relies on a combination of rainwater and boreholes drilled into the granite for its supplies. There has been no significant rainfall since April, and it had barely seen 20 per cent of the typical 4.92ft of rain expected by this time of year.
Restrictions and emergency measures
Water restrictions are in place for residents and visitors. Among the more extreme measures is the removal of plugs so tourists are not tempted to take a bath. Green added: "It's really our last chance saloon here. If we didn't do this, we would be facing the reality of closing Lundy. It would be devastating for us. Hopefully the reserve in the pond will last until it rains but because it hasn't rained in so long, this is desperate measures."
He continued: "We've got a working farm here and the animals need water every day so to evacuate those animals, those people and to cancel all those holidays is something that has never happened in the history of Lundy before. It would be hugely significant, we're on the cusp of having to make that decision."
Logistical challenges and recovery
The use of pond water led to some recovery in reservoir levels, which are now at 23.7 per cent full. Shipments of water on passenger ferry the MS Oldenburg from north Devon began in August. The first delivery of about 67,000 litres had been the biggest and cost about £7,000, Green said.
Since then, they have shipped 4,000 litres of water three times a week, with islanders using between 9,000 and 11,000 litres of water a day. Getting the water from the port to residents has not been easy, as the island only has a granite track and a handful of vehicles including three 4x4s, tractors, quadbikes and a fire engine. A landslip in June closed off part of the track to the tiny village at the top of the island about 400ft above sea level.
Green said: "We have to offload the tanks off the ship and we have to bring them up to a staging post halfway up the hill. We then have to pump water with a fire hose past the vulnerable part of the road to another tank where it's then staged pumped to the reservoir at the top."
Adapting to a changing climate
Island manager Matt Scantlebury said the island's pub, The Tavern, had closed its toilets and removed bath plugs to help conserve supplies. "We can't have baths, all the plugs have been removed to resist temptation. People are showering with buckets to catch the water and then using that to flush the toilets and that's saving water. We've had to close the pub toilets so the visitors have all been funnelled to the back shed toilets because they aren't on our mains water supply. We now have to fill them from our pond water."
He said the changing climate was more "pronounced on Lundy" and islanders needed to adapt. "Forecasters are predicting it will be even warmer next year. We've got to learn from this and be better prepared next year in terms of increasing the reservoir here. People need to learn to use a little less water over the winter. It's a sharp learning curve for us and the wider region."
