The feasibility of inter-basin water transfers to manage climate risk in England

Climate change, population growth, and environmental pressures, pose challenges for water resource management. Many countries, like the UK, are projected to experience regional variation in risk of droughts. One solution is use inter-basin transfer (IBT) schemes move from where it abundant scarce. But what first steps studying feasibility such as a solution? How can we ensure an IBT brings more resilient future under rapidly changing climate not have detrimental impact elsewhere? This paper develops demonstrates framework preliminary impacts assessment schemes. The evaluates negative hydrological ecological IBTs exporting basin. A hypothetical scheme, delivering northeast England London southeast, tested. Three scenarios analysed 100 generated driest member UK Projection 2018 (UKCP18). shows there would be no harm basin any scenario. However, sensitive operation. Constant low flow operation lead supply deficits up 60% by 2080 s. Transferring larger volumes, but only winter months, allows meet deficit whilst increasing risks – even UKCP18