Here is something I had not considered before

[BDG]

(7 August 2013, 16:12)NorthernRaider Wrote: Monty please check your facts before making statements, in the UK most reserviors are filled naturally from feeder rivers and streams in the hills they only use gravity in most areas, we have a fraction of the pump operated systems than you do in the colonies. Most of the North west is fed by gravity from the Lake district, Most of the North east is fed by gravity from Kielder water in Norhumberland and the Pennines. Much of Yorkshire and derbyshire is fed from the upper dales and peak district. its not until you head towards the eastern fens and home counties they go onto aquifers.

Eg Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham, Middlesbrough, Doncaster, Sheffield, Derby, Birmingham etc all take gravity fed water in part at least and nearly every British reservoir is fed naturally by streams.

As I remember, water is not directly taken from Kielder - it supplies the Derwent, Tyne, Wear and Tees. There is a pipline on the Tyne so they can discharge from Kielder and pick up water just below Corbridge to supply the Wear and the Tees and Derwent.

For water supply on Tyneside, water is released from Kielder, flows downstream to Barrasford, just up from Humshaugh (this supplies the local area there - some even has to be pumped back to Kielder and beyond) and also is extracted for use and also at Ovingham, near Wylam where it it then pumped uphill to treatment works at Horsley. Should TSHTF, these treatment works will be supplied with water to supply the system and so will not be supplying urban reservoirs.

Under normal conditions, there are local reservoirs (there are loads of them, normally covered or underground) on high points. If you live in an urban area, there is normally one within a mile or two.

When these run out, the water will run out.

The system is the same on the Wear and Tees. There is a lot of though and resilience actually built into the system to prevent water mains draining major reservoirs.

Kielder, Cowgreen and the other reservoirs will spill over if not managed. The dams are designed so even if they are of natural materials, they have lips that will put up with water running over them without washing them away. Some have built in spill ways and other features for water to get into the river systems. The one at Fontburn reservoir is impressive and well worth a visit.

As for aquifers, the far North of Northumberland takes it water from groundwater.

The rain water drains will be a problem eventually, I know some of the problems seen on Tyneside last year were because some main drains had not been cleaned in years. Once these are not functioning, roads will become water courses and a lot of land at all elevations will become bog.