As England develops major Strategic Resource Options to secure future water supplies, the Grand Union Canal Transfer combines advanced water recycling with the country’s historic canal network. Natasha Coackley of Affinity Water explains how the scheme could strengthen long-term resilience.
Across England, water companies are advancing a new generation of large-scale infrastructure projects to secure future supplies as climate change, population growth and environmental pressures tighten constraints on water resources. Strategic Resource Options (SROs) – including new reservoirs, desalination plants, water recycling schemes and regional transfer systems – form the backbone of this national effort to close projected supply gaps in the decades ahead.
Among the most innovative proposals is the Grand Union Canal Transfer (GUCT), a scheme being developed by Affinity Water and Severn Trent in partnership with the Canal & River Trust. The project combines water recycling with inter-regional transfer, using highly treated recycled water sourced from the Minworth Wastewater Recycling Centre near Birmingham. After advanced treatment, the water would be conveyed via pipeline into the canal network before travelling along the Coventry, Oxford and Grand Union canals to the South East.
A key benefit of the scheme is its role in securing the long-term future of the canal section, keeping it open and alive, resilient and safe
Further downstream, the water would be abstracted, treated again to drinking water standards and supplied into Affinity Water’s network to support customers in one of the UK’s most water-stressed regions. At full capacity, the scheme could transfer up to 115 million litres of water per day.
Natasha Coackley, Head of Strategic Resource Options at Affinity Water, leads the team responsible for developing nationally significant infrastructure projects that aim to strengthen long-term water supply resilience for both customers and the environment. In this interview, she discusses the role of the Grand Union Canal Transfer, the technical and environmental considerations behind the scheme, and what it could mean for the future of regional water resource planning.
Please tell us briefly about your background and your current role at Affinity Water.
I’m a Water & Environmental Engineer and have worked in the industry since 2006. I’ve been responsible for delivering a number of significant water and wastewater treatment projects across the years – more latterly focused on project management – ensuring schemes are delivered to a high quality, on time and to budget. I’m currently the Head of Strategic Resource Options at Affinity Water – leading the team that delivers those nationally significant infrastructure projects that will build water supply resilience for both the environment and our customers in the years to come.
How does the Grand Union Canal Transfer reshape Affinity Water’s long-term resilience strategy, particularly in addressing projected supply deficits and increasing climate variability across the South East?
The Grand Union Canal Transfer (GUCT) is key to Affinity Water’s long-term resilience strategy. This scheme not only protects the future drinking water supply on behalf of Affinity Water customers but also the East of England by allowing us to reduce our use of Grafham Reservoir, which in turn allows more water to be transferred to the Cambridge Water area.
We have undertaken water quality and ecological surveys along the route to ensure we are able to understand and mitigate any potential impacts
So, the scheme will strengthen the UK’s water infrastructure and create a legacy of resilient water resources, accommodating future population growth while reducing our reliance on water from other sources, including from unique chalk stream habitats.
In addition, the scheme will increase the resilience of the canal network during times of drought by delivering a year-round supply of water from the Midlands to the Southeast, when the usual feed of water for navigation could run low.
A key benefit of the scheme is its role in securing the long-term sustainable future of the canal section, keeping it open and alive, resilient and safe, and maximising its value to people, nature and the economy.
Given the partnership between Affinity Water, Severn Trent and the Canal & River Trust, how challenging has governance and collaboration been?
We did quite a bit of research with customers on their feelings about using recycled water, and the feedback received has been fairly neutral
Delivering the scheme collectively as three organisations has not been without its challenges, but we’ve worked really hard to come together as the Grand Union Canal Transfer team. Our mission is “Moving water together”, and this collective approach is illustrated in our Grand Union Canal Transfer branding. We’ve really put in the effort across all the partners (and that includes the specialist consultancies who work with us) to bring together a single team of experts to deliver this scheme, as one!
What do you see as the most significant regulatory or planning risks between now and the final investment decision?
Well, we are currently in our statutory Phase Two Public Consultation period for the scheme – this is always a significant achievement on any project of this size. Throughout the whole process, we have been working closely with the teams at RAPID and Ofwat to ensure we deliver on our regulatory requirements. The next big milestone will be the submission of our Development Consent Order, or DCO, which requires a huge amount of work to ensure a robust and timely submission.
Inter-catchment transfers can raise concerns about water quality, invasive species, and ecological impact; how are you designing the Grand Union Canal Transfer to manage these risks robustly?
Making sure we minimise our impact on the environment is a fundamental part of developing the scheme. This includes maintaining the highest standards in the quality of water that is transferred through the scheme and eventually comes out of customers’ taps, whilst minimising any impacts on the environment.
The scheme will integrate valuable historic infrastructure with modern control systems, modelling and digital operational management
We have done a huge amount of work already, having produced a Preliminary Environmental Information Report as part of our Phase Two Public Consultation. Its findings will help shape the design of the scheme positively and identify any potential significant effects on the environment at an early stage, so we can explore opportunities to avoid, reduce and mitigate them. For the last several years, we have undertaken water quality and ecological surveys along the route to ensure we are able to understand and mitigate any potential impacts, and we will keep refining that work as we progress towards the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
Large-scale transfer and reuse schemes can prompt public concern; how are you approaching stakeholder engagement and building confidence?
It has been interesting – as water companies prepare water resource management plans, we did quite a bit of research with customers on their feelings about using recycled water, and the feedback we’ve received has been fairly neutral. But we have been working hard within the scheme and actually across the industry to produce materials for communities and stakeholders to explain the process.
The team is focusing on the design of the Advanced Water Treatment Plant to ensure that the water meets drinking water quality standards
As part of our Phase Two Public Consultation, we’ve produced a short animation on how recycled water “works”, with videos of the team explaining the process of how recycled water will be highly treated before it enters the canal, and even a video showing our pilot plant we have built at the Minworth Wastewater Recycling Centre. It’s about being open – clearly explaining and giving people the time to explore and understand. All of the materials are available on our website: www.guctransfer.co.uk, and we are actively seeking feedback through the consultation to shape the design of the scheme so it works for everyone.
From a technical perspective, what are the most complex challenges in abstracting water from the Grand Union Canal and treating it to potable standards at scale?
Supported by recycled wastewater from Minworth, the project is specifically designed to be resilient to future droughts and climate change
There are two main elements: to transfer the water down the canal to the abstraction point, and a number of factors need to be considered to ensure the transfer provides drought resilience whilst maintaining the Canal & River Trust’s statutory duty to maintain navigation. This requires a real integration of valuable historic infrastructure with modern control systems, modelling and digital operational management to achieve the required system operation whilst minimising impact on recreational users and people living around the canal.
Secondly, the team is focusing on the design of the Advanced Water Treatment Plant, which will use advanced technologies to ensure that the water meets drinking water quality standards.
Given the increasing uncertainty around rainfall patterns and river flows, how robust is the scheme under extreme climate scenarios?
As the scheme is supported by recycled wastewater from Minworth, it is specifically designed to be resilient to future droughts and climate change. Indeed, it gives the dual benefit of drought resilience for water transfer, whilst at the same time significantly improving the resilience of canal navigation to drought.
Large infrastructure schemes inevitably raise questions about affordability; how do you balance delivering a major infrastructure scheme with pressure to keep customer bills affordable?
As part of developing our Water Resources Management and business plans, we consulted our customers on the impact that proposals such as the Grand Union Canal Transfer scheme would have on their bills. Customers recognised the need for resilient water supplies and supported us in progressing the scheme as a solution, but we need to ensure we are spending customers’ money wisely. This is done through sound governance and scrutiny on all decisions we make – our spending and progress are reported to and monitored by RAPID at each stage of the project, with access to funds not available until we pass each checkpoint.
How does the Grand Union Canal Transfer complement other strategic resource options to create an integrated and resilient regional system?
Customers recognised the need for resilient water supplies and supported the scheme, but we need to ensure we are spending money wisely
What is key is that we haven’t been looking at plans in isolation. We’ve been working collaboratively with other water companies, as well as Water Resources South East and Water Resources East, to ensure we have plans that work across regional water resources groups.
This scheme is a great example of this integrated approach as it not only supports Affinity Water’s customers but also Cambridge Water’s customers.
When planning water resources, it’s always about looking at a range of options. Our plans rely on a mix of actions, reducing leakage and helping customers use less water are fundamental first points of any water resources planning. For us at Affinity Water, we have two strategic resource options in our plans – the first is the Grand Union Canal Transfer due for delivery by 2033 and then, in the 2040s, we will need the Thames to Affinity Transfer, which will use source water from the new White Horse Reservoir.
Looking ahead, when the scheme becomes operational, what would success look like from your perspective, and what do you hope it changes about water resource planning in England?
I hope the scheme will be a testament to the benefits of regional planning of water resources, focusing on what we can achieve together
I think the obvious answer is a resilient supply of water, which is not delivered in isolation but is a resilient water resource for all. I hope that once the scheme is operational, it will be a testament to the benefits of regional planning of water resources, focusing on what we can achieve when we work together across sectors. Building resilient water resources for all is crucial, and this scheme embodies that.
With any large infrastructure scheme, you really want people to forget the project has happened, for people not to have been too disrupted by any construction work, and those temporary works to be a distant memory.
Conversely, we also want the scheme to leave a positive lasting legacy – we’re currently consulting on our social value approach, and that really does focus on what wider benefits the scheme can deliver. Whether that’s opening up more access to the canal towpath for communities, having a lasting and ongoing impact on STEM careers in the local areas, creating spaces that are rich for the environment and also providing access and amenities for local communities.
We also want to create spaces that are designed with functional elegance, representing the history and story of the scheme. I believe the Grand Union Canal Transfer has a real opportunity to show how a large infrastructure scheme can be delivered thoughtfully and well, working in partnership with the people it affects, while adding value to the communities which it passes through.
