Laura Anne Jones has called for the Welsh Government to step in prevent the closure of the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal.
The canal has been fed by the River Usk for almost 230 years, and takes 81% of its water from the Usk, but now the Canal and River Trust have lost an appeal to the environmental watchdog Natural Resources Wales to continue the practice.
Ms Jones met with Mark Evans, Director of Wales and South West Canal and River Trust, due to the urgency around this, and heard that new regulations on abstraction licences, which are used to take water from a source for various purposes, will mean that water to the canal will have to be cut off at a much earlier point than previously.
Alasdair Kirkpatrick, proprietor of the family business Beacon Park Boats, says that even with average to high levels of rainfall, the canal will become unnavigable if the water supply from the Usk is restricted. Mr Kirkpatrick is now faced with closure, which would leave 30 members of staff redundant.
The canal is visited by millions of people every year, and generates over £20 million annually from marine facilities, commercial boat operators, private boaters and the 290 pubs, restaurants and cafes within a mile of the water.
The canal, which flows through Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park, has been voted “Britain’s prettiest canal”, and is home to the kingfisher, the water vole and the otter.
Welsh Water are reportedly ready to provide the water the canal needs from their surplus from Llandegfedd Reservoir, at an estimated cost of a million pounds per annum and additional capital investment.
Ms Jones is pressing the Welsh Government to provide this cash, which she says is “a drop in the ocean compared to the economic, social and mental health benefits this canal brings, and what could potentially be lost.”
Laura Anne Jones MS, Senedd Member for South Wales East, said:
“It’s terrible that the canal is in danger of becoming unnavigable, but thankfully there is a solution on the table.
“It is important that we protect the River Usk, but also, we need to take urgent action to save our beautiful canal, because with the water already restricted the consequences of the canal closing could be disastrous for local people.
“As local Councillor Jan Butler’s petition rightly points out, we need to act NOW to save it.
“To sign the petition, head to the Senedd’s website.” petitions.senedd.wales/petitions/246570
Welsh Country thanks the Conservative Senedd support staff for telling us of the above and the Wales and South West Canal and River Trust for the further back ground information below.
Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal Water Abstraction
The future of the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal is at risk after restrictions have been put in place on the historic feed of water that supplies the canal.
Planned enforcement of water abstraction licence conditions has severely limited the water we can abstract from the River Usk and its tributaries to supply the canal.
Being faced with having to now pay for the water, but without any new income to help pay for it, our charity is facing the stark reality that we may only be able to provide a limited supply.
Given the scale of the economic, environmental and social impact, we are seeking support from Welsh Government to find a solution, to avert the potentially catastrophic consequences for the canal and the local businesses who depend upon it.
What has happened?
Since the canal was first built 225 years ago, it’s depended on water abstracted from the River Usk and its tributaries. Our abstractions were not regulated, but in 2017, our exemption from the Water Resources Act 1991 was removed, requiring us to apply for water abstraction licenses.
We appealed against the conditions attached to two licenses, raising concerns about limits placed on water supply, with consequences for the natural environment and local economy. The recent result of these appeals means we’re now required to severely limit water abstractions to the levels set out in the licences.
The River Usk at Brecon is the main feed to the canal and provides around 80-90% of the water required to meet water demands.
What could this mean for the canal?
The canal faces a precarious future. On top of our substantial annual investment into the canal we cannot afford to pay significant amounts each year to secure the water supply that the canal has relied upon for its 225-year existence.
- At times use of the locks could be restricted
- Locks could be closed completely to safeguard the canal from running dry
- It could impact the boat hire companies who use the canal
- A negative impact for the local economy who benefit from one of the main features of the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park
- The rich wildlife who rely on the canal could suffer
- The structure of the canal, which is over two centuries old, could be damaged by a lack of water
What are we doing?
We are now working with Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water and other stakeholders to explore other water supply options.
We are working with Welsh Government to raise awareness of the impact a restricted or closed canal could have on people, the local area, economy and wildlife.
We’ll continue communicating with boaters, local businesses and stakeholders to provide them with the latest information and encourage their support to help us keep the canal alive and open.
