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Glastonbury “planning to build a reservoir” to overcome water issues
By Andy Malt | Published on Wednesday 6 November 2019
Glastonbury Festival is planning to build a new on-site (or at least nearby) reservoir in order to ensure ever more clean water can flow at the event, according to Michael Eavis. If you remember, there were complaints about access to water at this year’s edition, although festival organisers strongly denied claims that there were actual water shortages on site.
“We are doing things all the time at the site”, Eavis said at the Yeovil Literary Festival, according to the NME. “We are planning all the time for the future – we are always looking at infrastructure improvements and we are planning to build a new water reservoir. We had a problem with a lack of water this year. We are also talking to Bristol Water now about our connection”.
Many punters at this year’s Glastonbury complained of a lack of water on site, after the festival introduced a ban on plastic bottles at the event, including banning retailers from selling them. Festival-goers were strongly encouraged to bring their own water bottles which they could fill from taps spread around the festival. However, as temperatures rocketed on the Saturday of the proceedings, many complained of long queues for those taps.
In a statement during the event, organisers said: “There is not a water shortage at this year’s Glastonbury. Our supply is running as normal. As always in hot weather, demand for water has increased, so we have put in place the usual restrictions on staff/guest showers and the limited number of public showers”.
“We have more than 850 taps on site, all of which provide free drinking water”, it added. “These taps all have a ready supply of water. All bars are also offering free tap water. And although we no longer sell water in single-use bottles, all of our food traders are selling both water and soft drink in cans”.
Despite those statements in June, it seems Team Glasto nevertheless want to cut tap queues in future years and/or reduce the need for shower restrictions. Hence the talk of reservoirs.
Given the Glastonbury site is in a valley, maybe they could make the whole place one big reservoir and then stage a floating festival on top of it. Then instead of queuing, moaning festival-goers need only reach over the side of their boat for a nice drink or a little clean. And in wash out years, you wouldn’t be able to tell.
