Lessons learned |
Navigating the decision to discontinue
As reservoirs outlive their original purpose, the decision to discontinue them is fraught with
complexities. Balancing safety concerns with environmental and community benefits requires careful planning and stakeholder engagement. Learn from recent experiences and key lessons for managing downstream risks, environmental impacts, and legal implications in the discontinuance process
Above: Helensburgh’s No. 1 reservoir in Scotland. Plans are underway to discontinue the No 2 reservoir © Slidewarrior /
Shutterstock.com
ANY RESERVOIR CAN OUTLIVE its original purpose or design life but redundant reservoirs, whether they are subject to the provisions of reservoir legislation or not, can still pose a risk to life for communities downstream, and have ongoing maintenance requirements that place a burden on owners. As a recent lecture hosted by the British Dam Society highlighted, for these reasons reservoir owners often consider discontinuing redundant assets but such a decision isn’t always that straight-forward. This is because reservoirs can deliver amenity value for local communities as well as contributing to a desirable environmental habitat, and so careful consideration should be given to balancing the advantages and disadvantages when deciding whether to discontinue them or not. The lecture discussed the processes to be followed leading up to discontinuance, and outlined lessons learned such as:
14 | April 2024 |
www.waterpowermagazine.com
Identifying and mitigating environmental aspects. Findings from public consultations. How to approach whole life cost estimates. The benefits or otherwise of carrying out ground investigations.
Dealing with sediment issues. Managing flood risk during removal of the reservoir. And managing downstream flood risk following removal.
The importance of identifying and working with stakeholders from an early stage was highlighted by the example of one project where the local angling association feared for its future, amid concerns the plug would be pulled on the town’s reservoir. Local MPs became involved and public pressure meant the discontinuance wasn’t taken forward. It’s paramount that those who could voice their opinion about discontinuations are identified as soon as possible and can include local authorities, angling clubs, local
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45
