National water grid
ONCE again today, the national BBC News has prognosticated about the shortage of water in the East and East Midlands.
The Pitsford Reservoir in Northamptonshire is at an all time low, meaning that unless we have almost continuous rain for the next three months hosepipe bans are likely for those of us in the Anglian Water area, writes David Collins.
The Nene
Nobody mentions the Daventry Reservoir, because it it doesn't (directly) feed the drinking water system. But when it overflows, it does so into the Nene. And the Nene is capable of feeding Pitsford.
Indeed special consent has been obtained to pump from the Nene into Pitsford just recently. Alas the Nene is too low at present for this to be of much help. Daventry Reservoir today was showing a level 2.2m down on the overflow level, and given that the Braunston Flight's leaky locks have once again not been fixed during the winter stoppages, we can be certain of restrictions this summer on the Grand Union, including the Leicester Section.
It doesn't have to be this way.
Llangollen to Northampton
After all, the Grand Union Canal overflows into the Nene at Welton. It too could supply water to Pitsford. And isn't there a continuous network of canals from Llangollen to Northampton?
By golly, what a good idea—take water from the West where it's wet to the East where it's dry. Why build a multi-billion pound network of pipes to do this when there are already canals to do it? I reckon a 100 more backpumping units at key lock flights at a £1m apiece would do the job.
Cheap overnight electricity
They could even use cheap overnight electricity! After all, most of us with any brains are tucked up in our boat beds or in the pub at such times. We don't make use of the lock flights overnight. There's even a means of getting water from the West (the Severn) to the South (the Thames). Its called the Sapperton Tunnel, un-navigable at present.
A National Water Grid based upon our canals getting water from Wales to the East and from the West to the South, would be a worthwhile investment for the water companies, far cheaper than any other options, bring in valuable revenue for the Canal & River Trust, and cost the Government and hence the taxpayers nothing.
Something sensible
It should cost water users nothing either because the water companies have to find extra water anyway—the only question is whether they do their own thing, not talking to each other, British Waterways or the Environment Agency, waste a fortune as usual or instead can be bullied into doing the sensible thing in the national interest. Which by the way would be in the interest of all boaters!
When even Boris Johnson advocates this, you know it's either blindingly obvious or so crazy as to be just the right thing to do.
And while you're at it, water companies, why not pump water up into Daventry Reservoir to provide buffer stock (and thus give a water supply for the proposed Daventry Canal). Damn, I've let my vested interest slip out.
David Collins, Nb Sirenetta, Crick