This summer’s sudden drought stretched our canal water supplies to their limits. Time and temperatures were against us. Your vital support helped us work around the clock to defend every last drop.
Water levels were worryingly low on the Sutton and Combs Reservoir
At the beginning of July, things appeared relatively normal. Sunshine glistened through the trees, and our waters sparkled as people enjoyed the warm weather, strolling along the towpath soaking in the peace and calm. Water levels were stable, boats were moving freely across the network, and our reservoirs were plentiful. But, within a matter of weeks, the picture would change dramatically.
“In July, our water resources were tracking close to where they had been in 2022 and 2023,” says Operations Programme Lead, David Baldacchino. “We didn’t foresee that within just a few weeks the country would go from a position of having relatively normal rainfall to being in drought.”
But with virtually no rainfall throughout July, water levels began to fall, and a concerted network-wide effort was needed to tackle the rapid onset of what the Environment Agency labelled a ‘flash drought’.
In an unprecedented effort to keep water in our canals, our teams mounted a major incident response across the network. Keeping water flowing across 2,000 miles of canals is easier said than done, but with expertise, skills and pure determination, our teams pulled together and overcame the challenges on a scale rarely seen before. We constantly monitored conditions on our most vulnerable canals, while our engineers, contract managers and operational teams prioritised emergency works where action was needed most.
Our aim was to keep as much of the network open and in water as possible. And for those on the ground, it would be a very different summer. Instead of carrying out planned maintenance as normal, teams were focused on finding and fixing leaks, managing water levels to keep boats moving and responding to problems as they emerged.
“At the bankside, the impact was huge,” says David. “Our regional operatives and hydrologists made managing water flows their number one priority. Every day they were busy keeping canals in water or dealing with problems that arose as certain canals ran dry. It became a relentless seven-day-a-week effort.”
Virtually no rainfall in July and August meant that some canal pounds ran dry due to drought
In Birmingham, we took learnings from last year, repeating the successful approach of proactively closing some navigations to conserve water, helping us protect supplies for other parts of the network and keep routes open.
Across the wider West Midlands alone, we carried out drought-specific works at 11 lock sites and three culverts and tackled numerous smaller leaks; while at Lapworth Top Lock on the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal, we fixed two broken paddles in just 24 hours, allowing navigation to reopen.
As temperatures soared and the drought intensified, every drop counted. In some parts of the network, our teams had to think outside the box, finding innovative ways of getting water to where it was needed most. As David explains: “On the Kennet & Avon Canal, we managed to keep things moving by transferring water from Bradford-on-Avon up the pumping chain to the summit at Crofton and onto the eastern end of the canal towards Newbury and Reading. We’ve never had to do something like that with such a concerted effort before.”
A seven-day-a-week effort kept our canals and locks open and working this summer
At the height of the drought in mid-August, hundreds of measures were in place to maximise resources and keep vital canal routes in water. In some cases that meant simply restricting the use of locks to certain times of the day. In others it meant closing navigation completely.
The warm weather throughout the summer also allowed the invasive weeds such as Floating Pennywort to quickly spread across our waterways, and we had to clear it before certain stretches could reopen.
Thankfully, by early September, changing weather brought some welcome respite. As the rain fell, many canals began to refill, albeit at low levels. Crucially, we still need consistent rain to replenish reservoirs for winter. Climate change means extreme weather is here to stay. Winter storms will come, and summer temperatures will continue to rise, but this summer’s drought has taught us valuable lessons for the future.
Protecting our canals and making them resilient to a changing climate demands a year-round, concerted effort. It takes passion, dedication, innovation and the long-term support of all our Friends and supporters to help us keep the canals you love, open and alive.
