Proposals to improve the approach for reservoir inspections,
ensure reservoir owners are more proactive in ensuring safety and
give the Environment Agency more regulatory powers have been
welcomed by the Government today (Thursday 13 May 2021),
following the completion of an independent review of reservoir
safety by Professor David Balmforth.
England already has some of the toughest reservoir regulations in
the world and the review acknowledges
the ‘well-established’ regime to manage their safety. Professor
Balmforth’s recommendations encourage government, the regulator
and reservoir owners to further build on this strong record.
The recommendations include:
- additional duties and powers for the Environment Agency, as
the regulator of reservoirs, to ensure public safety is delivered
by owners and operators;
- consider the rail and nuclear industry operating models,
where owners and operators contribute to the costs of regulation;
- owners to adopt a systematic and well-documented approach to
reservoir safety management;
- supervising and inspecting engineers to ensure all
inspections are systematic, detailed, and impartial;
- and that high-risk reservoirs should be managed and operated
on the basis of risk, to ensure their ongoing safety.
The Government has welcomed the review’s recommendations, and
will now work with the Environment Agency and industry to explore
them further.
In addition, a Ministerial Direction
has been issued to owners of all large raised reservoirs, making
it a legal requirement for them to prepare on-site emergency
flood plans. This will ensure that those responsible are prepared
and ready to mitigate in the unlikely event of an emerging or
actual emergency that could result in an uncontrolled release of
water.
Floods Minister said:
As Professor Balmforth recognises, our reservoirs have a good
safety record, but we must continue to strive for the highest
standards.
I welcome this important review and will now take forward
detailed work with industry and the Environment Agency to
explore the recommendations so that we have a safety regime fit
for the long-term.
Owners and operators must always minimise safety risks, and we
have tightened legal requirements for all large reservoirs so
that they have to prepare on-site emergency flood plans and be
ready to act quickly in an emergency.
Professor David Balmforth said:
I have thoroughly reviewed the processes and practices that
ensure the safety of our reservoirs in England, and I am
grateful to the very many organisations and individuals, both
here and overseas, that have assisted with this.
Whilst I have found many examples of good practice, there are,
nevertheless, a number of areas where improvements should be
made. I have therefore made a range of recommendations to
strengthen our reservoir safety practices and to give
additional powers to the Environment Agency.
It is now up to the Government to decide the best way to take
forward these recommendations, including any future changes in
regulations and primary legislation.
Caroline Douglass, Environment Agency Executive Director for
Flood and Coastal Risk Management, said:
We welcome the opportunity to work with Defra and the industry
to explore the recommendations further, and how we can advance
the safety of reservoirs and ensure they remain resilient in a
changing climate.
We have a strong track record of reservoir safety in England
and this report confirms this, but we should always be ready to
improve and aim for even higher standards.
Richard Coackley, Chair of the ICE Reservoirs Committee, said:
Appropriately qualified engineers are central to the safety
management of reservoirs in the UK and we’re pleased the Review
recognises the need for an increased number of high-quality
individuals to carry out reservoir safety supervision and
inspection. It is essential that standards are continuously
maintained and improved, and that as a profession we strive to
improve our knowledge, systems and processes - we agree with
the recommendations to reinforce this across the industry.
The report rightly recognises the need for reservoir owners to
take further responsibility for the safety and management of
their assets, and the need for a broader range of enforcing
authority powers. The Committee will continue to work with
stakeholders to take these recommendations forward, and to
ensure that reservoir and public safety is maintained into the
future.
The second part of the reservoir was commissioned by the
Secretary of State in June 2020 to examine the effectiveness of
current legislation based on the safety and regulation of
reservoirs. It follows the first part of the
review, which was published in March 2020, and focused on the
incident at Toddbrook Reservoir in August 2019.
The 22 recommendations set out in Professor Balmforth’s initial
report are being implemented.
