Why are Wessex Water, Somerset Council and the Somerset Rivers Authority doing this pilot?

In response to the intense rainfall and extreme flooding that Chard experienced in 2021, a whole series of measures to reduce flood risk have already been undertaken and are proposed going forward, involving several organisations. These include the maintenance of highways gullies, culverted watercourses, sewers and flood attenuation areas, and development of a flood warden network through the Chard Area Resilience Group (CARG).

Somerset Council and Wessex Water are also looking at a range of options to improve the way drainage networks cope with heavy rainfall. While bigger projects take time to design and build, smaller actions and projects in targeted areas can make a difference in combination more quickly.

Water butts capture rainfall and so the storage capacity in an empty or partially empty water butt can help to stop that volume of rainfall entering the drainage system. While one water butt on its own may have a little impact, many homes in the same area with water butts could have a more significant impact.

The initial phase of this pilot project began in late 2023 with 50 households in Chard joining in to capture rainfall. They are helping reduce the likelihood of flooding while getting the other benefits of water butts, like having free water to use in their gardens.

What we'd like you to do

We are asking those that receive a free water butt to install it and regularly use the water collected to create storage capacity for when it next rains. Rainwater is great for watering plants in pots and garden borders, topping up ponds, or using it to wash your patio, windows, and car. If you’re on a water meter, you’ll also save money on your water bill.

It would also help to follow the local weather and release water from your water butt before heavy rainfall. If you follow/join the CARG Facebook page too, you’ll see them share notifications of your wardens being put on alert to remind you to use and/or release water to create storage capacity.

We'll also contact you by email occasionally with short surveys to find out how you’re getting on with your water butt and draining them before rainfall to help inform future similar projects in Chard and beyond.

About the offer

We are offering selected properties in Chard a free water butt for the home under our Chard Water Butts Pilot project which could help you reduce surface water and sewer flooding in your area while also saving water and reducing your water bills.

There is an order limit of two water butts per household. We have a limited number available, so please order yours while stocks last.

Each water butt comes with a child-safe lid, diverter kit, pre-drilled inlets, hose-fit tap and stand, as well as a helpful guide to help you set it up. They can hold up to 200 litres of water, are 1216mm tall (including the stand) and have a diameter of 680mm.

If you order two water butts and intend to link them together, you can purchase a linking kit at your local DIY store.

Why use a water butt?

A water butt could save you more than 1,000 litres of water every year, while also saving you money on your bill if you’re on a meter.

Rainwater contains nutrients that are beneficial for plants, and they prefer it over treated tap water – so as well as saving money you will be giving them what they need.

Water butts are also a useful tool to help prevent flooding and storm overflow discharges, as they fill up with rainwater that may otherwise end up in the sewer network.

More information