RESERVOIR STUDIES

The combination of climate change and environmental protection means that reservoirs are now, once again, being seen as having major benefits for both customer and environment. The ability to store water from the times of plenty to help in times of dearth makes reservoirs a sensible choice. Of course, the creation of a reservoir means the loss of the land from however it was being used before, unfortunately sometimes including people's homes, as well as production of food.

However, the environmental benefits can be staggering. For example, Abberton Reservoir in Essex is now an internationally important bird reserve for wildfowl, being listed as a RAMSAR site. No less than the great Sir David Attenborough held it up as an example of how a reservoir development can transform our wildlife with new opportunities. Speaking at its opening in July 2015, he stated:

I can remember a time when nature conservation and development were seen to be in opposition — you either developed or conserved — and that led to confrontation. Here at Abberton Reservoir this is fundamentally, extraordinarily and wonderfully different. It is a blessing, a wonder and a great admiration to see what has been achieved by this partnership being celebrated.

Hydrology.UK undertook all the water resources analysis and hydrological studies that built the case for, and eventually led to the enlargement of Abberton over a fifteen-year period. This was the first major reservoir development in the UK for over 30 years and we were recognised by Essex & Suffolk Water as an integral part of the delivery team at the final celebrations.

But we have also worked on the resources assessment of literally hundreds of other reservoirs, including all the reservoirs in Northern Ireland and the Yorkshire Pennines, as well as others throughout the rest of the UK and other parts of the world. We are presently (2025) spearheading the case for the development of another major new strategic reservoir in eastern England, looking at the reliability of different storage capacities, identifying new potential sources of water, and investigating abstraction regimes to take water at higher flows while protecting the aquatic environment at lower flows.

Reservoirs are also required to meet Government safety standards to ensure they are not vulnerable to overtopping during extreme rainfall and flooding events. If this was to happen, it could lead to a potential collapse of the dam with catastrophic consequences for those living downstream. We therefore undertake extreme flood estimation and reservoir routing studies to ensure reservoir spillway capacities remain fit for purpose under the latest flood research findings.