Earth Notes: Eco Puzzler: GB Water Grid

Background

There are [as of ~2021] national grids for electricity, gas and oil. These work well and, increasingly, there have been questions asked about a water grid. It seems an obvious need with rising populations in the south east of England, changing climate, hose-pipe restrictions, and so on.

The Environment Agency completed a study in September 2006 which concluded that it was just too expensive and that there were other easier ways of solving the problem. Possibly so. But these other solutions are not without their environmental and disruptive impacts.

The project

Devise a more elegant scheme than the Environment Agency's, with a lower capital cost, lower operating cost, less environmental impact and better sustainability. The principal issue will be matching supply to demand over a thirty five year period, against a backdrop of climate change and shifting population. The engineering elements will include on-shore and off-shore pipelines, channels and watercourses, pumping stations, up-stream and down stream reservoirs, treatment works, power supply and control systems. Maybe there will be potential for energy recovery systems. And the environmental impact will be huge.