Impact of Reservoirs in the UK on the Surrounding Community Dissertation

Impact of Reservoirs in the UK on the Surrounding Community - Dissertation Example Center of discussion in this paper are reservoirs, man-made bodies of open water serving as public water supply sources, as winter storage for crop irrigation or as flood storage facilities in association with river corridors. FWR describes two types of reservoirs – upland reservoirs and lowland reservoirs. Upland reservoirs are built across river valleys and so they are described as upland reservoirs. Reservoirs such as those to which water is pumped from a nearby river source rather than filling naturally as with impounding reservoirs are known as lowland reservoirs. According to FWR much of the water supply infrastructure in the UK was developed at the end of the 19th century when impounding reservoirs were constructed in upland locations in order to provide water supply to conurbans which were often many miles away. Reservoirs were often located in areas where the catchment encountered little or no disturbance and so the quality of water supplied was in most cases fully ac ceptable without any need for either filtration or disinfection. However, as the standards relating to public hygiene evolved, many of these supplies were improved with the provision of chlorination systems. The regulation in relation to water quality ensures that all supplies are now provided with full treatment, including coagulation and filtration. FWR points out that in England and Wales two-thirds of drinking water comes from surface water, including reservoirs, lakes and rivers, and the rest from ground waters. There are also areas that receive water from mixed sources. Water is treated and tested along the way to ensure the highest quality. As it is with lakes reservoirs support rich and diverse flora and fauna and some rely on these habitats for their entire lifecycle. The classification is based on their nutrient status. Eutrophic standing waters are usually highly productive as they consist of lot plant nutrients. Legislation relating to Dam Safety Reservoir safety is crit ical to the British Dam Society which they indicate as the driving force behind many of the meetings, events and research work that they undertake (British Dam Society 2011). The Reservoir Act 1975 provides the legal framework to ensure the safety of dams with capacity of 25,000 cubic metres of water above natural ground level. Safety legislation in the UK was first introduced in 1930 after several reservoir disasters which resulted in loss of life. This was later superseded by the Reservoir Act 1975 (Environment Agency 2011). The Act indicates that reservoir owners have ultimate responsibility for the safety of reservoirs. They are also required to appoint a Panel Engineer – a specialist civil engineer who has qualifications and experience in reservoir safety to continuously supervise reservoirs and carry out periodic inspections. Supervision and inspection will be provided by qualified persons performing in the capacity of supervising and inspecting engineers respectively. Those reservoirs that are below the 25,000 cubic metres capacity are managed by the Health and Safety Executive and the Local Authorities under the Health and safety at Work, etc Act 1974 and the Building Act 1984 respectively. The Flood and Management Bill was given Royal Assent in April 2010, thus making it possible to bring aging reservoir safety legislation up to date by providing clarity on roles and responsibilities of those persons who manage flood and coastal risks in England and Wales (Environment Agen