Zusammenfassung der Ressource
2.2 - Water supply and control in the UK
- Supply and Demand
- Most precipitation falls on the
uplands (Western England +
Scotland)
- Heaviest demand lies in the
heavily industrialised and
urban regions of the low lands
(Eastern England + SE
England)
- Shortage management
- Water Authorities Act (1973) -
set up larger regional water
authorities
- Authorities manage features such as industrial waste
disposal, pollution and flood control along with inland
fisheries and water recreation
- Within these authorities a number of
'water supply only' companies have
been formed serving local areas
- E.g. The Cambridge Water Company
- 1989 - New Water Act
- Water services placed under 10 new
privatised regional water companies
- Rivers + groundwater regulatory and
conservation functions taken on by National
Rivers Authority (NRA)
- Makes surface and ground water supply
- Water also pumped from upland reservoirs
- 4 major problems for water companies:
- Water pollution
- Concern for conservation
- Growing demand for water
- Stability and flood control
- Causes and solutions to these issues
- Water supplies
- Population increase puts
strain on supplies
- A balanced approach required
- Control of flooding
- Cause - combination of abnormal
weather and increased human
activity in areas at risk
- Engineering - limited due to
capital - can only reduce
flooding risks to an extent
- Better land management
and planning controls
- Area near North Sea worse affected
- Low lying land is sinking
- Sea defences help
- Thames Barrier - built
1983 - cost £730 million
- Still liable to flooding every 50 yrs
- Est £3.5 billion damage without it!
- How does human activity affect hydrological cycle?
- Building dams - interrupts and
modifies surface water flow
- Using water for irrigation
- Lowering the water table
through over-abstraction of
water
- Domestic and industrial use
- Pollution of water
- Modifying vegetation affects
run-off transpiration rates