Chasewater not ready for next season

THE Chasewater Reservoir that feeds the Birmingham Canal Navigations will still not be repaired for next year's boating season, and not until Spring of 2013.

The reservoir was drained early last year, causing two years of water shortage, though British Waterways managed the waterways very well, with just a few events cancelled.

Over twice the cost

The repair has proved a bigger task than first envisaged, with its cost more than doubling from the estimated £2.5m to £5.5m, that the  council is finding difficult to pay, with payment being spread over the next 40 years.

Risk of failure

It had been decided the dam was in a poor condition being constructed from stone and rubble over 200 years ago, with the risk of it failing, and flooding houses that have since been built.

The local Lichfield District Council first undertook the repairs, but these proved too extensive, so the county council then took over.

Though the reservoir was built to feed the waterways, an unusual quirk in its maintenance agreement meant that the local council was responsible for its upkeep, and not British Waterways, which is usually the case.