Our use of cookies A water supply is an integral part of most business’s operations – every company uses water in its own way. You’ll need a water supply, whether a digital marketing agency or a large food production plant.
Any interruption to that water supply can be incredibly damaging, no matter how big or small your business is.
That’s where having a contingency plan is essential – when an outage occurs, it can be frustrating and daunting, and there’s often no knowing when the water supply will return to normal.
At best, your business may have to revert to working from home if your office water supply is lost. It’s much worse for those businesses in the production industry; a water cut can result in a loss in sales due to the halt in production and the possibility of not meeting their order quota. Either way, a loss of water has serious consequences.
What is water contingency planning?
Water contingency planning is finding a solution if there is a disruption to your water supply.
It’s a backup plan that allows you to continue your day-to-day business process without any disruption, allowing you to fulfil your obligations to critical customers.
What is the process of putting a water contingency plan in place?
Putting a water contingency plan in place consists of a few simple steps. It’s figuring out your business water needs during a supply interruption.
The three steps our water experts take are:
- A water expert will come to your business for a water audit and assess your water usage to ensure they know how much you’ll need in an emergency.
- Then, they will map out your water plan. This means everyone will know what will happen in case of a water outage and be aware of the volume of water expected to be delivered.
- You will then be given a timeframe of how long your business will have to wait for the water to be delivered based on the initial audit, location, and type of business.
Once in place and agreed upon, pick up the phone whenever a water outage occurs, and you’ll have your emergency water supply delivered smoothly. Hence, there are no significant disruptions to your business activities.
What should I do if my business water supply is interrupted?
If your water supply is interrupted and you do not have a water contingency plan, call your current business water supplier and notify them of the interruption so they can work with the wholesaler to fix the problem (in most cases, they will be aware of the disruption before you are).
This will take a long time and will cause a delay in production. Check with your current supplier to see if they have a contingency plan for you; some companies assume they have one and then find out too late that it’s not the case and their standard contract doesn’t provide emergency water supplies.
However, if you have a continuity plan, you only need to contact your plan account manager. You will receive your emergency supply in the timeframe specified in your contingency plan based on your business needs (Volume, industry and location).
As your supplier and wholesaler look to fix the supply, you’ll still have a free-flowing supply of water that will not interrupt your business needs.
What are the most common industries that need water contingency plans?
A water contingency plan is essential when your business depends on water, not just the running of your toilets and kitchen but the central part of your production.
The most common industries that use water as part of their production and should consider putting a contingency plan in place are:
- Agriculture
- Drink production
- Food production
- Energy
- Events
- Hospitality
- Hotels
- Industrial Manufacturing
However, even the smallest businesses will benefit from a water contingency plan. If your water supplies are disrupted, it will cause problems with your daily facilities, i.e. your toilets, washrooms and kitchen facilities.
What are the most common causes of interrupted water supply?
Many factors affect and can interrupt your water supply, but most commonly, these are:
- Burst or leaking pipes.
- Local network outages
- Contamination of the water supply.
- Low water pressure reduces the flow of the supply.
Regular maintenance is recommended to ensure your pipes don’t have small leaks to help avoid a potential major leak that will stop your business production.
In the case of one of the above occurring, it’s essential that you have a contingency plan in place to keep production running smoothly until the supplier has fixed the issue with the water wholesaler – and your water supply is running smoothly again.
What costs would my business incur if my water supply was disrupted?
There are a lot of indirect costs a business will occur in the event of a disruption to their water supplies; these include:
- Penalties for not meeting contractual deadlines for fulfilment.
- Loss of sales revenue due to the halt of production.
- Increased expenditure on overtime to catch up on production.
- Potential regulatory fines.
- Customer dissatisfaction.
Why should you choose AquaSwitch for your water contingency plan?
You should choose AquaSwitch as your water contingency plan provider, as we offer a concise audit to ensure your needs are met correctly.
Our experts will evaluate your business needs and the amount of water you currently use. We will then provide you with a contingency plan to estimate how much you would need in a supply issue.
You’ll then have a plan and be alerted to who you must contact and the process in an emergency.
You’ll then be provided with a unique and innovative solution to keep your day-to-day business activities running smoothly without slowing production.
AquaSwitch can save you money on your business water bill
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