There are fears a canal in Wales could run dry. The Canal and River Trust has written to members of a boating community informing them they could have to vacate the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal in Wales.
The trust wrote to people living on and using the canal this week informing them there are serious water retention issues along the waterway which runs from Brecon to the Five Locks basin in Cwmbran. Maintaining water levels has become more difficult for the trust in recent years due to issues such as climate change.
To combat this the trust has been taking water from the River Usk and its tributaries for decades but in 2017 it was decided only licence holders could take water under the Water Resources Act 1991. The trust has a licence with Natural Resources Wales to take water from the nearby River Usk and the Afon Llwyd. But now the trust says the conditions within the licence are too strict.
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The licence states that at Trosnant Spring in Pontypool a maximum of 2,000 cubic metres of water per day can be taken by the trust and at Brecon states 35,000 cubic metres per day can be taken. But there are conditions, particularly at Brecon, where lots of requirements must be met before the trust can take water including rate of flow.
The trust appealed the conditions to Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW) last year arguing while it is necessary to limit the volumes of water taken to protect the River Usk and the Severn Estuary the limitations imposed are too restrictive and would have an adverse impact on navigation and also the structure of the canal and its ecology. But both these appeals have been rejected with the inspector concluding the conditions were necessary to protect the integrity of the Usk and Severn Estuary special areas of conservation.
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In a letter addressed to canal community members Mark Evans, director for Wales and the south west for the trust, said: “Of the seven licences required for the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal we appealed against two that place significant limits on the water supply to the canal with serious consequences for the natural environment and local economy. PEDW has recently determined these appeals against the trust meaning that legally we are now required to limit water abstractions from the River Usk in accordance with licence conditions.
“This poses a serious long-term risk to the future viability of the canal. Normal usage of the canal requires a healthy water supply. We are faced with a choice between having to pay prohibitive costs for additional water supply, severely restricting the use of the canal in an effort to keep it from running completely dry or, at worst, seeing structural failure, environmental harm and damage to the local economy because of a lack of water.”
Even in a year of average rainfall it is estimated supply would be insufficient for the canal to operate. In a dry year, according to the trust, the canal could be forced to close for considerably longer. Mr Evans said the trust is facing cost challenges and now faces “the hard reality that the future of this beloved canal is now at risk”.
People who use and live on the canal are worried with one telling WalesOnline: “This is a disaster. People who own boats on the canal will be left sitting on the mud so will need to relocate at huge expense. The hire companies stand to lose millions. If the canal runs dry for an extended period the clay lining will dry out, crack, and turn to dust. The sides will cave in and it’ll be lost. The canal’s ecosystem will collapse.”
The trust has asked the Welsh Government for support to find a solution. NRW and the Welsh Government have been contacted for comment.
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