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Reducing our own water use
Our commitment to reducing water use
The Council recognises the pressures facing East Cambridgeshire in terms of securing sufficient fresh water supplies for our district and the impact on the environment of sourcing fresh water.
As a growing district, those pressures continue to increase, and we also face the uncertainties of climate change already affecting our weather patterns.
We are therefore committed to reducing our own water consumption, and encourage all residents to also help save water.
How much water we use
The Council is a fairly high consumer of water and we monitor carefully all the water we use. Every month we check all meter readings and are especially on the look out for any unusual high volume of water used, to check if any leaks are occurring.
Our top locations for metered water use by the council are as follows (using 2025 to 2026 figures):
| Location | Cubic metres of water used in 2025/26 |
|---|---|
| Cloisters toilets, Ely | 1,961 m3 |
| The Grange (council’s main staff office) | 880 m3 |
| Barton Road Car Park toilets, Ely | 658 m3 |
| Fountain, Jubilee Gardens, Ely | 639 m3 |
| Palace Green toilets, Ely | 426 m3 |
| Ship Lane toilets, Ely (note: these toilets were closed | 416 m3 |
| Portley Hill Depot, Littleport (council’s main depot for vehicles and some office space) | 305 m3 |
| Fountain Lane toilets, Soham | 199 m3 |
| Main Street toilets, Littleport | 176 m3 |
Over the past three years, the above locations have consumed on average approximately 5,600 cubic metres of water every year.
That’s enough to fill The Hive main swimming pool eight times over!
Saving water, saving money
Like homeowners, we have to pay for all the water we use.
Typically, we spend approximately £30,000 every year on water bills for the above locations.
That’s a lot of money, so if we can reduce how much we use it would not only be good for the environment but would also save the council money and help keep our council taxes frozen for even longer.
Actions we are taking to reduce water use
We know we can’t eliminate our water use completely, but we do think there are opportunities to make reductions. On this page are some recent and forthcoming actions we are taking.
Fitted a timer on the Jubilee Garden fountain
So it is not running over night. The fountain loses a lot of water from spray, especially on windy days. There is no need to continuously run the fountain throughout the night. A timer was fitted in March 2026. We will monitor whether this reduces water use by the fountain.
Upgrading our public toilets
They now use low flow taps and, where possible, lower volume toilet flushes. We renovated Palace Green toilets in December 2025, and we will monitor whether this has helped reduce water consumption. We have plans to renovate the Cloisters toilets soon.
Adjusting flush mechanism and staff awareness
At The Grange offices, this has helped reduce water consumption by 10% in 2025/26 at The Grange compared with the previous year. We will do further staff awareness raising in the coming year.
Actions you can take
You can help us reduce our water use by reporting any leaks, broken taps or other concerns with our public toilets by contacting customer services
You can also reduce your own water use, and save money, by taking some simple actions to save water use at home.
The Hive Leisure Centre
Please note that The Hive Leisure Centre is excluded from the water consumption figures on this page. Whilst the council owns the building, it is operated by an external leisure provider, Better UK, and the council has no control over the water used at the leisure centre and does not pay its water bills.