Putting the water into waterways Water Resources Strategy 2015–2020 October 2015 Contents Executive summary 3 Appendices Strategic actions 4 Appendix 1 – Hydrological units, including phase 1 modelling cycle 28 01 – Introduction – why do we need a Water Resources Strategy? 6 Appendix 2 – Organisations that helped us to shape this Strategy 32 02 – Key concepts and definitions 8 Appendix 3 – Glossary 33 03 – Why do we need a level of service? 11 Appendix 4 – References 34 04 – What is our agreed level of service? 11 05 – Impacts of restorations and new canals on level of service 12 North West Waterway North East Waterway 06 – Measuring level of service Manchester & Pennine Waterway North Wales & Borders Waterway and baseline data Central Shires13 Waterway East Midlands Waterway West Midlands Waterway 07 – Future pressures South East 14Waterway South Wales & Severn Waterway Kennet & Avon Waterway Stockton London Waterway on Tees 08 – How will we decide on waternon-Trust waterways coastal gateways resource improvement schemes?non-navigable 19 waterways are Kendal indicated by a dashed line 09 – Phasing of water resources Ripon Lancaster schemes 22 Skipton Bingley 10 – Other issues 23 Preston Burnley York Ribble for 3 & 5 rise Blackburn Link Leeds Sowerby Selby 11 – Cycle of the strategy 27 Bridge Goole Rochdale Castleford Burscough Wakefield Wigan Bolton Bury Huddersfield Keadby Standedge Salford Tunnel Doncaster Liverpool Quays Rotherham Manchester Sheffield Runcorn Chesterfield Worksop Gainsborough Marple Anderton Bugsworth Boat Lift Basin Macclesfield Cromford Newark Northwich Congleton Ellesmere Port Heanor Lincoln Long Eaton Chester Kidsgrove Middlewich Grantham National Waterways Museum Stoke on Trent Nottingham on TrentBurton North West Waterway Nantwich Sawley Boston North East Waterway Market Llangollen Shrewsbury Drayton Manchester & Pennine Waterway Stafford Tamworth Loughborough North Wales & Borders Waterway Ellesmere Ashby Leicester PontcysyllteAqueduct Central Shires Waterway Wolverhampton Welshpool East Midlands Waterway Stourbridge Market Harborough Newtown Kidderminster Welford West Midlands Waterway Atherstone Birmingham Rugby South East Waterway Coventry to the Broads & Warwick Norton Junction Fens waterways South Wales & Severn Waterway Stourport Kennet & Avon Waterway on Severn StratfordRoyal Northampton upon Avon Leamington Stockton Spa London Waterway Bromsgrove on Tees Droitwich Spa non-Trust waterways Banbury coastal gateways Milton KeynesBedford Stoke Bruerne non-navigable waterways are Kendal Worcester indicated by a dashed line The Canal Museum Hereford Bishop’s Aylesbury Stortford Leighton Hertford Oxford Ripon Buzzard Brecon Gloucester Harlow Lancaster Waterways Museum Cricklade Hemel Hempstead Stroud Wendover Sharpness London Swindon Pontypool Skipton Watford Slough Bingley Preston Burnley York Swansea Brentford Ribble Bath for 3 & 5 rise Bristol Blackburn Pewsey Reading Bradford Melksham Newbury Link upon Avon Leeds Bridgwater Sowerby Selby Bridge Taunton Goole 2 Rochdale Castleford Burscough Wakefield Wigan Bolton Bury Huddersfield Keadby Standedge Salford Tunnel Doncaster Liverpool Quays Rotherham Manchester Sheffield Runcorn Chesterfield Worksop Gainsborough Marple Anderton Bugsworth Boat Lift Basin Macclesfield Cromford Newark Northwich Congleton Ellesmere Port Heanor Lincoln Long Eaton Chester Kidsgrove Middlewich Grantham National Waterways Museum Stoke on Trent Nottingham on TrentBurton Nantwich Sawley Boston Market Llangollen Shrewsbury Drayton Stafford Tamworth Loughborough Ellesmere Ashby Leicester PontcysyllteAqueduct Wolverhampton Welshpool Stourbridge Market Harborough Newtown Kidderminster Atherstone Welford Birmingham Rugby Coventry to the Broads & Warwick Norton Junction Fens waterways Stourport on Severn StratfordRoyal Northampton upon Avon Leamington Spa Bromsgrove Droitwich Spa Banbury Milton KeynesBedford Stoke Bruerne Worcester The Canal Museum Hereford Bishop’s Aylesbury Stortford Leighton Hertford Oxford Buzzard Brecon Gloucester Harlow Waterways Museum Cricklade Hemel Hempstead Stroud Wendover Sharpness London Swindon Pontypool Watford Slough Swansea Brentford Bath Bristol Pewsey Reading Bradford Melksham Newbury upon Avon Bridgwater Taunton Executive summary Delivering a long term security of water supply will closure occurring in any single year. The way the help the Canal & River Trust (the Trust) achieve its Trust will assess and prioritise future investments in vision of living waterways that transform places water resource improvements, on the basis of their and enrich lives. To enable this we have developed a benefit-cost ratio is also shown. Water Resources Strategy, following consultation, to allow us to plan successfully for the future. We believe that the greatest pressures on the Trust’s This Strategy sets out our work plan for the next five water resources in the future are climate change, years and looks as far ahead as 2050 to understand funding, new legislation and increased boating the longer term pressures and challenges. numbers. How we will investigate and quantify the impacts of these pressures is outlined, primarily Key concepts and definitions in our approach to through further research, hydrological modelling and managing water resources are explained, such as reference to industry best practice. hydrological units (waterways that are supplied from the same water sources), navigational drought Our approach on three key issues that are frequently (a period of time where a shortage of water raised by our customers and users is explained. resources in a hydrological unit leads to These are lock leakage, side ponds and dredging. restrictions or navigational closure), levels There is often a misconception about the effect of of service (the frequency we would expect a these issues on our overall water resources reliability. navigational drought to occur) and navigational The Water Resources Strategy clarifies a number drought closure (when, as a result of drought of areas of misunderstanding and it presents our at a particular location in a hydrological unit, current view on these issues. navigation is possible for less than five hours a day, over seven or more consecutive days). Finally, we explain our five year cycle to produce and implement our Water Resources Strategy. This Our aspirational level of service is 1 in 20 years, i.e. will incorporate each of the themes above, allowing the Trust will maintain and operate the canal network progress to be made in key areas. It will ensure that so that drought closures are implemented, on lessons are learned and feedback improves the overall average, less than once every twenty years. Another management of water resources across the 2000 way to express this is a 5% probability of a drought miles of canals and river navigations we care for. Our Values Caring Open Local Involvement Excellence “Water is vital to the Canal & River Trust. It is the lifeblood of the canals and rivers that we care for and it needs to be carefully managed, particularly in times of drought.” Richard Parry, Chief Executive Canal & River Trust 3 Strategic actions We will complete the following 14 actions within the next five years: 1 Continue to work with others to improve our definition of navigational drought. 2 Aspire to a level of service of 1 in 20 years. Work with others to understand the factors that might determine an appropriate level of service for parts of the canal system that are not currently able to meet the 1 in 20 year standard. 3 Only give our consent to new marinas if their impact on water resources does not reduce the level of service below 1 in 20 years. 4 Ensure that appropriate water resources assessments are undertaken for any proposed restoration or new canal development, aiming for no net impact on long term water resource levels of service. 5 Model all reservoir/groundwater/surface water feeder supported and river fed hydrological units with the new Aquator modelling software package. Where appropriate, spreadsheet models will be constructed for river navigation hydrological units. Continue to focus on developing the quality of modelling reservoir inflow data and model accuracy along with refining canal loss rate estimates. 6 Continue to monitor the Environment Agency and Defra water company planning guidelines and incorporate techniques where it is suitable and there is a benefit to the Trust. 7 Assess the following future pressures on our water resources: climate change, funding, environmental legislation (likely reduction in abstraction volumes) and increased network usage. 4 8 Model all feasible water resources schemes to assess the total quantity of water each will yield and the Net Present Value, using this to develop the business case for each scheme. 9 Follow the Trusts best practice in assessing social, economic and environmental costs and benefits of different Levels of Service. 10 Aim to implement water resources schemes to coincide with the predicted year which the Trust will no longer be able to meet the agreed level of service for the specific hydrological unit, by inclusion within the Trust’s business plan determination. 11 Further explore the water management benefits of main-line dredging and spot dredging. We will investigate the network thoroughly to identify specific locations that would benefit from dredging of canal pounds to create ‘reservoir pounds’ e.g. summit pounds. 12 Identify and record side ponds as separate sub-assets on each primary lock asset, so that the Trust has a definitive