BW's relationship with the Environment
Agency
106. BW works with the Environment Agency (the Agency)
on a number of levels:
- the Agency regulates a number
of activities that British Waterways undertakes including fish
movements, fisheries management and third party water abstraction
from British Waterways' waters;
- the Agency works in partnership with British
Waterways on navigation matters including waterways regeneration
schemes and the Olympics;
- the Agency works with British Waterways to ensure
it integrates waterway management with other uses such as water
abstraction;
- British Waterways supports a number of the Agency's
activities, including providing flood defence and engineering
support.[196]
107. The Agency and British Waterways signed a collaboration
agreement in 2000 to support better working between the two organisations.
Since then, the Agency says the two have jointly developed a "wide
range of initiatives", and have held regular bi-lateral meetings.[197]
In particular, the Agency says BW staff provide support "during
flood emergencies"; the Agency warns that it will become
"increasingly important" that the two organisations
work together on flood risk management "as climate change
affects UK weather patterns".[198]
108. In June and July 2007, England and Wales experienced
severe floods in various locations. In a press release, BW announced
it was at "full stretch" dealing with the problems,
by rescuing stranded people, digging channels to divert water
and operating locks to send water through the system and out to
rivers. During the June floods, all waterways in Yorkshire were
closed to boat traffic.[199]
OUR VIEWS
109. Severe flooding is likely to become an increasing
occurrence owing to the effects of climate change. Canals can
sometimes act as important flood relief mechanisms and BW staff
may consequently find themselves increasingly engaged in such
'extraordinary' activities as occurred during the June and July
2007 floods. In this context, it is crucial that communication
and partnership working between BW and the Environment Agency
is of an extremely high standard. In its response, BW should
set out its current strategy for flood risk management and for
responding to flood emergencies, and say how it expects this role
to develop in the future. We call upon Government to ensure that
its independent review of the 2007 floods fully takes into account
the role of BW and its waterways network in the future strategy
for flood risk management and emergency flood response.
182 Ev 16, para 5 Back
183
Ev 384; Ev 379. Back
184
Ev 139, para 58 [Simon Robbins]. See also Ev 285 [Horseboating
Society]; Ev 309 [Residential Boat Owners' Association]. Back
185
Ev 210, Annex C Back
186
"Cotswold Canals Restoration Update", British Waterways
press release, 11 June 2007 Back
187
Q 365 [Dr Paul Woollam] Back
188
Ev 114 Back
189
Ev 383 Back
190
Inland Waterway Amenity Advisory Council, Inland waterway restoration
& development projects in England, Wales & Scotland, December
2006, p 3 Back
191
Inland waterway restoration & development projects in England,
Wales & Scotland, p 3; Ev 118, para 4.12 [Steve Davis &
Paul Woollam]. Back
192
Q 331 Back
193
Q 331 Back
194
Q 534; Ev 209. Back
195
Q 535 Back
196
Ev 36, para 1.2 Back
197
Ev 37, para 2.1 Back
198
Ev 37, para 2.4 Back
199
"British Waterways Working Hard to Alleviate Problems",
British Waterways press release, 28 June 2007 Back