There is a lot of talk in the news over drought and water shortage, makes a change from flooding and pictures of people cleaning out flooded properties.
The last time we were talking about droughts was in the 1980 when hydrologists were all looking at low flows and hands off flow, busy calculating Q95!
The Yorkshire Drought caused them to change the way their water "resource bubble" was managed so that this type of embarrassment would not happen again.
We have seen water companies drive leakage down and fit water meters for demand side control but what of supply side expansion?
Are we too reliant on groundwater in the south?
Should reservoir expansion have been looked at in the 80 and 90's?
If we look to expand now it could take 20years to be operational.
Could the North and West move water to the south? This has been banded about for many years, back in the wary 90's British Waterways commissioned an EIA to look at the mass movement f water through their network. But issues of ecology and water quality leaving aside costs stopped this project from going forwards.
Back when I was involved in research we tested multiple climate change scenarios against change in reservoir stocks. Bizarrely the impact of uncertainty water demand is more critical than that of climate change.
Water companies could alter their control rules and manage the impacts of climate change.
So what is the way forwards, selling water from north to south?
Better storage?
Better management of a scarce resource?
The debate begins ....
