Could water transfer boost restoration?

摘要

A proposed large drinking water storage reservoir near Abingdon (which might have helped the Wilts & Berks Canal restoration) has been turned down following a public inquiry - but the alternative of a water-transfer scheme could be very good news for the Cotswold Canals restoration. There had been hopes that if Thames Water's Abingdon proposal had gone ahead, an emergency relief channel linking it to the Thames would have been built in a form suitable for use as a new route for the Wilts & Berks Canal, whose original course through Abingdon has been built on. However, the Inspector rejected the reservoir proposal on the grounds that she "could not conclude that the supply of water would be efficient and economical" if it were built - and that other options including a scheme to transfer water from the Severn basin had been eliminated without adequate consideration.