On Thu, 02 Jun 2005 17:04:48 GMT, "Martin Rowley"
m wrote:


I'm sure the engineers would love to get their hands
on the project ... I suspect lack of will at the top (and I can't see
the privatised water concerns being too bothered with such outlay
either).

exactly so. I am very familiar with the canals and the engineering
issues achieved in the last five years would make a water transfer
scheme utterly boring in comparison
Cheers Robin

Quoting from message
posted on 3 Jun 2005 by Robin Nicholson
I would like to add:

On Thu, 02 Jun 2005 17:04:48 GMT, "Martin Rowley"
m wrote:


I'm sure the engineers would love to get their hands
on the project ... I suspect lack of will at the top (and I can't see
the privatised water concerns being too bothered with such outlay
either).

exactly so. I am very familiar with the canals and the engineering
issues achieved in the last five years would make a water transfer
scheme utterly boring in comparison

Given the past history of creating reservoirs in Wales to supply urban areas
in England I'm not sure how well such a scheme would go down on this side
of Offa's Dyke.

Llyn Celyn is full to the brim ATM (don't know what they'll be letting out
for the canoeists over the weekend).

The river was slightly over at Maentwrog and looking towards Tanygrisiau
and Blaenau the mountain streams were in full spate.

--
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"Paul K Hudson" wrote in message
...



Why would they want to do that when it's far too easy for them to get a
banning order without recompense to the consumer?

Yes, I wasn't *entirely* serious when I wrote that!

Col
--
Bolton, Lancashire.
160m asl.
http://www.reddwarfer.btinternet.co.uk
http://www.reddwarfer.btinternet.co....rPictures.html

Jill. wrote:
What on earth happened to it?
Its nissing it down up here and hasn't stopped to draw breath since June
started.
When are we going to get some even warm weather? - hey we ain't greedy up
here.


Well, the beginning of June is the average time for the European Monsoon
to start.

Monday, 2nd June, fifty years ago, we had snow over East Anglia.

Graham

In article , "Ian Currie" writes:

... A dry summer could be very serious for the Southeast.

Agreed. The situation does not look good.


It is interesting that in spite of all the development and building that has
gone on across the relatively small British Isles from Domes, Wheels,
skyscrapers, sports stadiums, shopping precincts, marinas, mighty bridges,
vast housing estates, motorways and by passes, not to mention airports etc
etc the ability to transport water from the frequently wet hills and
mountains of the west and north of Britain to the often arid and
increasingly urban Southeast seems beyond the capability of engineers or the
will of politicians.


A very big reservoir, fed by the Thames, has been planned in Oxfordshire. The
water is not primarily for Oxford or Swindon, but for the south-east. The height
of the containing walls will extend 80 feet above ground level since the clay
layer is at the surface at the planned site, and not underground.

I believe that all the properties/farms etc due to be flooded have now been
purchased by the operating water company. They have also commissioned private
environmental impact surveys (breeding bird surveys and the like).

Understandably, people living in several nearby villages campaigned against the
proposal because of the intrusive nature of such a large development so close to
their homes. The construction period would necessiate a local extension of
a nearby railway line to ferry materials, a road would have to re-routed, and
a tunnel built to connect to the Thames.

Five years of misery for them from dust, noise, mud, traffic... followed by
living beneath millions of tons of water. Sunset would come hours earlier
for those nearest...

Of course the plans were put on ice while all the water companies were forced to
reduce wastage through leakage. Up to one third of all water supplies were
being lost through leaks, and years of disruption followed while every major
town and city had it mains water supply network renovated. Ofwat had premitted
special increases in water charges to allow the companies to carry out that
work, and funds are still being allocated to meet major capital expenditure
on water infrastructure.

At the same time, planning permission for the Oxfordshire project was shelved
because public opinion does not foresee a crisis. Several things need to be
in place to get such a project started: the water companies need to be able
demonstrate that they are not wasting existing resources, a site needs to
identified and all surveys completed, funds need to be found, and public opinion
needs to be won over for the necessity of such a large project.

This is a long story, and this project has been slowly developing over many
years, but we (those effected - the Oxfordshire site and south-east customers) are nearing the game-plan of the last, still-outstanding requirement: public approval;
a severe summer drought in the south-east will go a long way to providing the
necessary political impetus for the building of this reservoir. At the moment,
the argument has been to provide for the planned growth for the south-east, but
that in itself is not popular, either.

I should point out that this is, as far as I know, a Thames Water-only scheme.
Whether the other water companies have similar plans I do not know. But in a
tiny way this will be, if it comes about, a water-grid for at least part of the south-east, even if it is confined within a single water company's area and does
not involve pumping water from the north or west into other regions.

Unfortunately, you, and your neighbours in the south-east, are likely to have to
suffer from drought before those who will suffer from the consequences of the
solution can be persuaded that a new, very large, reservoir is essential.


Cheers, or not,

keith




---
Iraq: 6.5 thousand million pounds, 80 UK lives, and counting...
100,000+ civilian casualties, largely of coalition bombing...

"Keith Dancey" wrote in message
...
In article , "Ian Currie"
writes:

... A dry summer could be very serious for the Southeast.

Agreed. The situation does not look good.

A very big reservoir, fed by the Thames, has been planned in Oxfordshire.
The
water is not primarily for Oxford or Swindon, but for the south-east. The
height
of the containing walls will extend 80 feet above ground level since the
clay
layer is at the surface at the planned site, and not underground.


Keith

Would this not be very similar to several of the huge reservoirs in the
vicinity of Heathrow? Not sure about the 80 feet, but they are contained
within quite high walls and are most certainly not dammed valleys.

Regards, Roger

Alan White wrote:
On Thu, 2 Jun 2005 19:35:29 +0100, " Jill."
wrote:

Its been completely filthy today

Since midnight z, 13.4 mm.

Total this month so far 32.6 mm.

went to Gardening Scotland today
Lots of sodden fields right across the country - large areas of surface
water lying on fields that should be crops or grazing land
It was less in east than west but I have never seen so much water on the
surface around Stirling and right through to Edinburgh in June
Every one I spoke to from this strip across the ground is bewailing the same
thing -- COLD - putting young plants out and them going backwards in May.
And the WET.

add the knock on effect of NOT a soul gardening cos its so cold and wet and
its a BAD year

-- had a good time though - one of my very few days out

--

regards
Jill Bowis

Pure bred utility chickens and ducks
Housing; Equipment, Books, Videos, Gifts
Herbaceous; Herb and Alpine nursery
Working Holidays in Scotland
http://www.kintaline.co.uk

On Fri, 3 Jun 2005 22:47:36 +0100, " Jill."
wrote:

add the knock on effect of NOT a soul gardening cos its so cold and wet and
its a BAD year

Lesley's working wonders in the greenhouse but outside is a bit
desperate.

We set off to go on a walk with our local group this morning. We got
as far as the car and I'd had enough of heavy rain and very bad midges
and returned to the house. Be interesting to hear how Lesley got on...

--
Alan White
Twenty-eight miles NW of Glasgow, overlooking Loch Goil and Loch Long in Argyll, Scotland.
Web cam and weather:- http://www.windycroft.gt-britain.co....her/kabcam.htm
Some walks and treks:- http://www.windycroft.gt-britain.co.uk/walks/index.html

In article , "Roger Smith" writes:

"Keith Dancey" wrote in message
...
In article , "Ian Currie"
writes:

... A dry summer could be very serious for the Southeast.

Agreed. The situation does not look good.

A very big reservoir, fed by the Thames, has been planned in Oxfordshire.
The
water is not primarily for Oxford or Swindon, but for the south-east. The
height
of the containing walls will extend 80 feet above ground level since the
clay
layer is at the surface at the planned site, and not underground.


Keith

Would this not be very similar to several of the huge reservoirs in the
vicinity of Heathrow? Not sure about the 80 feet, but they are contained
within quite high walls and are most certainly not dammed valleys.


Could be, but my passing acquaintance with Heathrow reservoirs didn't look
like 80 feet, but maybe they are... The planned Oxfordshire reservoir is
to be "landscaped" with an earth embankment, and trees, but the gradient
will still be steep.

Regional news reporting, this weekend, that water restrictions will start this
week for some Southern Water customers (north Sussex only). I see that 70%
of Southern's supplies come from aquafers...

Either regional development has to be stopped, or some kind of inter-regional
water grid (with additional reservoirs) has to be set up to meet this kind of situation, since it is unlikely that Southern can source extra supplies soley
from within its boundaries. It always takes a crisis or three before *that*
sort of capital expenditure is given the "go-ahead"...


Cheers,

keith









---
Iraq: 6.5 thousand million pounds, 80 UK lives, and counting...
100,000+ civilian casualties, largely of coalition bombing...