Using technology to manage our waterways

Every day, we monitor the canals using the latest technology and a bespoke control system designed by us. We have over 600 monitoring stations at strategic points in the canals, rivers and reservoirs we manage.

The MEICA SCADA (Mechanical, Electrical, Instrumentation, Control and Automation Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) system is set up to automatically operate pumps and control sluices to make sure the water in the canals stays at the right depth for boats to use. If there is too much or too little water, or a piece of equipment needs some attention, alarms are sent out to staff.

Leading the way

The nature of the canal network and the remote locations of some of our monitoring sites means that in many cases we are leading the way with this technology. We've a team of excellent and innovative technical specialists that maintain and enhance our SCADA capabilities.

By developing the system ourselves, we've built a secure and robust system that can adapt to the challenges of the future. We don't just monitor water levels, we also control some much larger structures including automated locks and swing bridges.