£5m earmarked to upgrade emergency pumping station feeding water to canal at risk of running dry

Emily Price 

The Welsh Government will earmark £5m to upgrade an emergency pumping station feeding water into a historic canal at risk of running dry.

The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal was constructed over 220 years ago and meanders through stunning scenery in the Usk Valley and Bannau Brycheiniog National Park.

Earlier this year legislation was enforced which severely restricted the canal’s water supply.

Previously, canals were exempt from requiring a license to funnel in water from rivers due to their status as navigation authorities.

But new rules saw most exemptions from abstraction licensing removed.

The Canal and River Trust Wales was then required by law to obtain a licence from Natural Resources Wales (NRW).

The Welsh Government sponsored body granted a licence with conditions that placed limitations on the amount of water that could be drawn from the Usk.

NRW said the conditions were designed to protect the integrity of the River Usk and the Severn Estuary’s special areas of conservation.

Short term

The Trust warned that the limitation in water supply would mean the canal’s locks would quickly become inoperable and closure would be “inevitable”.

Fears were raised that after more than two centuries, the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal could run dry.

In April, Dŵr Cymru agreed a short-term solution to supply the canal with additional water for a year.

But the company said it could not provide a water supply long term because it would put the water supply to other customers at risk.

In July, Senedd members added their voices to a 14,000-strong petition for urgent action from the Welsh Government to save the waterway.

Deputy First Minister of Wales, Huw Irranca-Davies later held a meeting with the Canal & River Trust, local authorities bordering the canal, Dŵr Cymru, NRW and the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Wales.

‘Long-term’

The cabinet secretary agreed to allocate £5m to upgrade the pumping station at Manorafon which supports the current temporary agreement between the Trust and Dŵr Cymru.

He said: “I have asked my officials to engage immediately with Dŵr Cymru to progress the necessary works this year.

“I hope this will provide the basis for the arrangement to be put on a longer-term footing.

“This is a significant indication of Welsh Government commitment to the future of the canal.”

The Canal & River Trust welcomed the Irranca-Davies’ commitment but added the current agreement with Dŵr Cymru “comes at a significant cost”.

A spokesperson said: “While this capital funding will provide greater resilience to sudden failure of the pumping station, the Canal & River Trust notes that the upgrade of this asset will not address the cost and operational issues for the Trust itself that are the consequence of the new licence conditions.

“These issues must be addressed to secure the future of the canal.”

The cabinet secretary says that further options to build resilience in the canal’s capacity and ongoing costs would be addressed as part of a “collective endeavour”.

He said: “We all want the canal to prosper. A solution must be found that is workable and sustainable for the people of Wales – both now and for future generations.

“This will require finding ways to support the canal whilst also ensuring the ecological status of the River Usk Special Area of Conservation.”