Kent and South London reservoir levels and drought status
Reservoir storage in Kent and South London at the end of September 2026: Bewl 49%, Bough Beech 50%, Darwell 34% and Powdermill 32%, and 1 more below. That is the latest figure the Environment Agency has published; it is 19 days old. Environment Agency drought status on 15 October 2026: Kent and South London: severe drought in parts (stage 3 of 3); drought elsewhere.
Covers Kent, south London and parts of East Sussex (Environment Agency Kent and South London area).
Reservoir figures
Figures for 30 September 2026 (19 days ago). Source: Environment Agency, Kent and South London water situation report: September 2026 (published 14 October 2026). Percentages are of live capacity.
| Reservoir | % full | Classed as | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bewl | 49% | Below normal | |
| Bough Beech | 50% | Below normal | |
| Darwell | 34% | Notably low | |
| Powdermill | 32% | Notably low | |
| Weir Wood | 82% | Normal | Offline |
Storage fell through September 2026 everywhere except Powdermill, which rose slightly.
Report: Kent and South London water situation report: September 2026 (PDF), Environment Agency.
Drought status
| Environment Agency area | Status |
|---|---|
| Kent and South London | Severe drought in parts (stage 3 of 3); drought elsewhere |
On 9 October 2026 Yorkshire moved into drought. On 15 October 2026 the government declared severe drought in parts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex.
Source: Dry weather and drought in England: 9 to 15 October 2026, published 16 October 2026 (3 days ago). Every area in England.
The Environment Agency manages drought in England in four stages after normal. Prolonged dry weather: an established period of low rainfall, river flows or groundwater for the time of year. Drought: prolonged low and notably low indicators, with stress on water supplies and possible restrictions on non-essential water use. Severe drought: exceptionally low indicators over a long period, with emergency measures possible. Recovery: indicators improving and returning towards normal. Natural Resources Wales uses the same stages for Wales. Water companies have their own drought levels and decide on hosepipe bans for their own areas.
Hosepipe bans and water company pages
Water companies decide on hosepipe bans for their own supply areas, which do not follow the area above. Companies that supply this area:
| Water company | Hosepipe ban in the Environment Agency's list? | Official pages |
|---|---|---|
| South East Water | Yes: whole company area |
Hosepipe ban page |
| Southern Water | Yes: Hampshire and the Isle of Wight | No checked link yet: find it on the company's own website |
| SES Water | No, not in the list | Reservoir levels / water resources |
| Thames Water | Yes: whole company area |
Hosepipe ban page |
"Yes" means the company is in the list of temporary use bans (hosepipe bans) in the Environment Agency's weekly report of 9 to 15 October 2026 (published 16 October 2026). A ban can cover only part of a company's area, and companies can start or lift one between reports, so check the company's own page. Links were checked when this page was built (18 October 2026).
Where these figures come from
Every figure on this page is copied from an official report, with the date it is for. The reports are PDFs and web pages, not data feeds, so the figures are typed in from each report and then checked automatically against the report's own text before the page is rebuilt. Nothing is estimated or forecast here.
- Kent and South London water situation report: September 2026, Environment Agency, published 14 October 2026. Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Dry weather and drought in England: 9 to 15 October 2026, Environment Agency, published 16 October 2026. Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (Environment Agency). Contains Natural Resources Wales information © Natural Resources Wales and Database Right. All rights reserved. SEPA's water scarcity report states no reuse licence, so this site shows only the level SEPA gives each area, with a link to the report.
What the numbers mean
- % full is the water held as a share of the reservoir's capacity. Reports use total, live (usable) or net capacity; each table says which when the report does. Figures for a "group" combine several linked reservoirs.
- Long-term average (LTA) is the usual level for the same time of year in the reservoir's past records. "Below normal", "notably low" and "exceptionally low" are the Environment Agency's bands against those records.
- Reservoir levels alone do not decide drought status or hosepipe bans: the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales also look at rainfall, river flows and groundwater, and each water company follows its own drought plan.
- Northern Ireland is not covered: we have not found an openly licensed NI Water or DAERA reservoir report to use. Scottish Water's reservoir levels are not linked because we did not find an official page for them.
Questions
What are reservoir levels in Kent and South London now?
Reservoir storage in Kent and South London at the end of September 2026: Bewl 49%, Bough Beech 50%, Darwell 34% and Powdermill 32%, and 1 more below. This is from Environment Agency, Kent and South London water situation report: September 2026 (published 14 October 2026) and is 19 days old. The Environment Agency publishes these figures once a month.
Is Kent and South London in drought?
Environment Agency drought status on 15 October 2026: Kent and South London: severe drought in parts (stage 3 of 3); drought elsewhere.
Is there a hosepipe ban in Kent and South London?
The Environment Agency's report of 16 October 2026 lists a hosepipe ban (temporary use ban) at South East Water (whole company area), Southern Water (Hampshire and the Isle of Wight) and Thames Water (whole company area). SES Water is not in that list. Company supply areas do not follow these area boundaries, so check your own water company.
How often are these figures updated?
The Environment Agency publishes reservoir figures for each area once a month, usually around the middle of the following month, and a weekly drought report during dry periods. This page is rebuilt from those reports, and every figure shows the date it is for. Water companies often publish more recent levels on their own sites, linked on this page.
Other areas
Devon and Cornwall · East Anglia · Hertfordshire and North London · Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire · Midlands · North East · North West · Solent and South Downs · Thames · Wessex · Yorkshire · Wales
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