Grand Union Canal Transfer Scheme

It’s a joint water transfer project between two water companies: Severn Trent and Affinity Water, and ourselves. It’s an example of the increasing role that resilient canals can play in a sustainable future.

Our role in water security

With water becoming an increasingly vulnerable and valuable resource, as new housing and digital infrastructure increases demand, the Trust’s network of canals and river navigations is playing a growing role in providing a more resilient UK water supply.

Our network forms an existing framework to move water around the country, from areas with a more plentiful supply to areas with less, providing a sustainable solution to this growing problem. We already supply several million litres of public water every day and believe we can do more.

About the Grand Union Canal Transfer

Working with Affinity Water and Severn Trent Water, we are progressing the Grand Union Canal transfer scheme to move up to 115 million litres of water per day from the Midlands to the South East.

The proposals for this scheme include transferring water by a new pipeline from Minworth (near Birmingham) to the Coventry Canal at Atherstone. From here, the water will begin its journey along the Coventry, Oxford and Grand Union Canal. It will then be transferred by a pipeline from the Grand Union Canal just south of Milton Keynes – via a new water treatment works – to an existing covered reservoir near Luton. 

Why the project is important

The Grand Union Canal Transfer is being developed to protect the environment and maintain water supply. This is in response to increasing pressure from population growth and the effects of climate change. 

Specifically, the transfer will improve the resilience of the drinking water supply to customers of Affinity Water in the Southeast. This is an area historically supplied from chalk stream catchments, and so the scheme would allow for more water to be left in chalk streams. 

By utilising the canals, the scheme also brings significant benefits to the Trust and its customers through opportunities to increase the resilience of canal infrastructure. This will be achieved through increasing the supply of water to the canal for navigation, enhancing and upgrading existing infrastructure as part of the works, and providing a revenue stream for the Trust for years to come.