Title: Hydrological and geomorphological challenges of water transfers in East Anglia, UK in the context of climate change

Authors: Lenka Anstead; N. Keith Tovey

Addresses: Department of Geography and Geology, Faculty of Natural Science, Matej Bel University, Tajovského 40, Banská Bystrica, 974 01, Slovakia ' Faculty of Science, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK

Abstract: Essex in East Anglia is regarded as the driest county in the UK, receiving only half of the national average annual rainfall. In a normal year only half of the water supplied to households in the Essex is sourced from within the county. In a dry year, up to one-third of the required water is derived from the Ely Ouse to Essex Water Transfer Scheme which has transferred water from Denver in Norfolk in the north to the River Stour in Essex since 1972. A low average rainfall, weather extremes and rising water demand create significant challenges to fulfil the needs of growing population that is set to rise in the future. This paper explores how the flows enhanced by the water transfer impact the river discharge and the river channel morphology in the context of climate change.

Keywords: hydrological effects; enhanced discharge; fluvial geomorphology; water transfer; water demand; water scarcity; river management; hydrological cycle; climate change; droughts; hydrology; East Anglia; UK; United Kingdom; rainfall; weather extremes; river discharge; river channel morphology.

DOI: 10.1504/IJW.2017.081108

International Journal of Water, 2017 Vol.11 No.1, pp.14 - 24

Received: 04 Aug 2014
Accepted: 21 Jun 2015
Published online: 23 Dec 2016 *

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