Despite yesterday's downpour and heavy rain this morning, Government is warning residents to not get reckless with water after the recent dry spell depleted reserves.

Works and Engineering Minister Alex Scott said Government was forced to ration properties last week when reservoirs became severely depleted and that up to 1 million gallons of water had been lost through reckless usage and faulty plumbing at homes. He urged water conservation and warned households connected to the Government supply they faced rationing if they wasted water.

Mr. Scott said: “We are way below our average rainfall requirement. As a result, people's water tanks are running dry and the demand for water is increasing.”

The Minister is also discouraging residents from ordering several loads of water at a time because this creates a backlog and deprives other households on the waiting list. A surge in demand from the central area has depleted the Prospect reservoirs. Mr. Scott said: “The public needs to realise that our fresh water is not a limitless resource.”

Residents are being advised to:

check for water leaks

check water tanks to make sure water isn't running too low and order water before they run out as the average wait for deliveries is between one and two weeks

not leave taps on when washing hands or brushing teeth

wash dishes a basinful at a time

wash full loads of laundry

reduce shower time and turn off water while soaping and shampooing

recycle kitchen and bathroom water for use in the garden and limit washing of vehicles

Seventy-one percent of the island's fresh water comes from rainwater and the rest is from groundwater abstraction and desalination water plants.

During the 1989 drought, 18 trucking companies delivered nine million gallons to households over four weeks.

Government built two new water treatment works at Prospect and Port Royal in 1999 to help exploit Bermuda's groundwater and Government has allocated funds to build a new seawater desalination plant at Tynes Bay over the next two years.