Reminder: owing to back-siphoning of groundwater when the supply is turned off, the site supply is not drinking water.
I met with Rhodri Edwards – who is Allotments Officer’s line manager under Parks – today on site.
To recap, there is a serious underground water leak somewhere in the southeast segment of the site, that is, between the mid-point stopcock (at the junction of Road Three and the long track), and the main stopcock at the southwest of the site. It’s losing over a cubic metre of water per hour, which equates to a rate of about £17,500 worth of water a year.
A project manager and contractor have been engaged, and the purpose of today’s visit was to assist in the decision as to the best of the several options to resolve the problem. I proposed a conservative one, which would minimise cost and disruption, while making future leak tracing much easier, and also reducing the likelihood of their happening again. Whether that would be chosen or not remains to be seen, however.
Rhodri said that work should begin within the next week or two. However, given the cost and seriousness of the leak he said that the Council would very much encourage us to turn the water off overnight. I explained that this had been tried before, though with the limited volunteer effort available meaning that it was turned on at 1000 and off at around 1400, but that this had led to resentment among those who attend before or after work and who found the troughs empty, with opprobrium being attached to the unpaid volunteers.
So a main aim of this article is to see if there are people who often attend before work – who’d be willing to turn on the water early in the morning – and others who come after work, and who’d be prepared to turn it off when they leave, ideally giving the water on from say 0700 – 2030 or so. It could also be turned off during spells of wet weather (if we get any.) A group could be set up, to arrange and to share this between themselves, if there were enough offers. Please contact PPAA Committee if you might be able to help.
Martin P. (Volunteer)
I’m happy to be in a rota for the after work slot. Would not be able to commit to every day
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Many thanks, anon.
We have some volunteers already. If you dropped the Committee an email by the Contact page, then we could create an email group among you all, and you could arrange such things yourselves perhaps?
Thanks again.
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why has this mad situation been going on for a whole 2 years?
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Hi Anon (2).
The problem was first noticed by Dwr Cymru in summer 2024, when they installed a data logger in the pipe feeding us and the then bowling green.
Allotments Officer and her then manager Anthony Thomas visited, and discovered a vandalised cistern in the green’s changing rooms. It was agreed that this only accounted for part of the wastage, however.
Despite our informing Allotments that there was no major issue with our above ground equipment, a plumber was sent to site during winter 2025 to inspect it. He said that there were some leaks at the troughs. (Indeed there were, but they were tiny and would only account for about £2.00 worth of water a year.)
Nevertheless, I can only infer that based on his report Allotments were satisfied that the problem had been found, and that they need take no further action, as it was for us to fix those small leaks. No further correspondence from me on the matter received any reply. At Site Representatives’ meetings with the Council where the issue was raised, Allotments Officer stated that her understanding was that “It had all been fixed”, I’m led to believe.
That remained the case until Dwr Cymru’s Inspector visited the site recently, and following his confirmation that there was a serious underground leak the Council were issued with a Notice. (It’s an offence to allow water to leak purposelessly.)
Martin P
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In this extreme weather is it not reasonable to choose an early morning or early evening to water at the allotments? I went yesterday to water my plot at 7pm and the water had already been switched off. Surely this is too soon? I hesitate to go early morning likewise, in case there is no water.. Perhaps you can advise?
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Hi Alison,
I’m sorry that this is – as expected – affecting some plot holders adversely.
However, let’s establish the context.
Two years ago – when the problem was first registered by the Council – its position was that they would simply turn off the water 24/7 until they got round to fixing it. If I recall correctly, PPAA said that this would amount to Breach Of Contract, but as goodwill proposed turning off the water, all but for a limited period each day. This was in anticipation of the problem being properly resolved within a reasonable time. However, this led to the difficulties outlined in the article, similar to the one of which you also complain.
Unfortunately, the Council seemed to find reason to misunderstand or to ignore repeated reports by PPAA that the problem persisted, and so it was never fixed.
To avoid the above threat being made again – and the necessity for a legal challenge – PPAA offered to find volunteers to turn off the water overnight.
Five kind plot holders – not PPAA Committee members – have offered to form a group, and have been doing just this.
If, among them, there isn’t anyone available to turn it off at 2030, but only at 1830 say, then this is what will happen. However, that is far better than the water not being turned off at all, although ideally it would be on from say 0700 to 2030.
If you visit site in the evening and leave later, then I wonder if you would be able to turn off the water then? If so then I could forward your details to the group for you to work with them on this.
Very best wishes,
Martin P, volunteer.
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Dear Martin, I can see that this whole thing is a real problem.
I would be glad to communicate with those volunteers although I cannot be there every evening. Do they turn off the water from one particular place or would I just be responsible for the trough near my plot?
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Many thanks, Alison.
There’s a main stopcock (right at the other end of the site from your plot!)
I’m not sure exactly how the volunteer group does this, but I’ll forward the explanatory email to you with their contact details too, and you could join their chat if you like?
Thanks again.
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Hi – This leak seems complicated as they all are.
Who owns this water supply? Is it the PPA directly from Welsh Water? Or is the Council involved in some way? Who pays the bills?
I would recommend you contact CCW Consumer Council for Water to get advice before going ahead. I used to be Chair of CCW in Wales.
Welsh Water will give a one off leakage allowance and help to repair a leak on the supply pipe.
I strongly recommend you get advice before going ahead – if you haven’t already got this. Tbh I doubt if the new chap at council would know the detail about these options with CCW and WW.
I am the beekeeper at Riverside Community Allotment. Contact me via email if you would like to talk or get more info. Good luck Diane
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Hi Diane,
Thanks for your comment.
PPAA manage the site under a Local Management Agreement with the Council.
That Agreement assigns some responsibilities to PPAA, while the Council remain burdened with others, including the below-ground water arrangements, where the problem has been confirmed by Dwr Cymru to be.
The actions involved in fixing this are therefore entirely a matter for the Council, and not for PPAA Committee.
It’s actually quite simple, despite the problems that we’ve had in trying to get traction, but many thanks for your kind offer. (If you’d like all the details, then search “water” on this website. There are a number of articles on the topic.)
Martin P, volunteer.
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Hi Diane
While the PPAA Committee appreciate your concerns, believe me we have been totally pro active in trying to get the Council to address the leak for over two years now.
However if you wish to add any of your ‘past life’ professional weight to the fray, then please do in whatever way you can.
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