By Greg Barradale Big Issue Senior Reporter
WATER
On the night of 14 May 1943, something new and terrifying hurtled towards the dam holding Abberton Reservoir in place. Flying at a well-calculated 232mph and altitude of 60ft, the Lancaster bombers of 617 Squadron RAF Bomber Command made their approach, but did not drop their bouncing bombs. That would happen two nights later, when 53 airmen and 1,600 civilians lost their lives in Germany.
Historians differ over whether it changed the course of the war, but had Britain not spent the time from the Industrial Revolution to the start of the 20th century building reservoirs, it’s unsure whether the Dambusters would have had anywhere to practise. Eight decades on, those reservoirs – from Colchester to Derwent – are still in use. As climate change and drought threatens the UK’s water supply, they are becoming more critical than ever. In meeting rooms and computer simulation programmes, a battle is being fought to meet the challenge.
Estimates suggest that by 2050 there is a one in four chance households will see their water supply cut off for an extended period, thanks to severe drought. Guarding against this will require adding an extra million litres per day to the water supply, the National Infrastructure Commission found in 2020. By 2030, new water supplies will be needed roughly equivalent to the water consumed by nine million people. That means building new reservoirs.
The country has largely forgotten how to do this. In 1989, Margaret Thatcher’s government privatised the UK’s water companies. In the 35 years since, just one potable water reservoir has been completed – Carsington Reservoir in Derbyshire, in 1992.
In fact, in recent years, water companies have even been selling off reservoirs. And just this year, Clydach reservoir in Wales has been decommissioned, with Welsh Water planning to turn it back into a natural lake.
“The thing people probably don’t realise is how old the reservoirs are in the UK. I think people think of reservoirs and they think of a shiny new water supply reservoir,” explains Rachel Pether.
Pether is an All Reservoir Panel Engineer – a designation given to a select group of engineers who inspect and oversee the country’s reservoirs, from back garden ponds and National Trust ornamental lakes to drinking water storage.
“But actually, 99% of my time is spent looking at reservoirs t
