Report No DWI0141

BANKSIDE STORAGE AND INFILTRATION SYSTEMS (ENV 9037)

Final Report to the Department of the Environment DoE 3266

DWI0141

Mar 1993

SUMMARY

A feasibility study on the use of bankside storage and bankside infiltration for the protection of supplies from river abstractions, identifying the costs, advantages and disadvantages of such installations has been undertaken.

The first stage of the study comprised a literature review and the collation of views from water utilities in the UK on their operational experience with bankside storage and infiltration systems. Relatively little information was available from the literature relating to the water quality of bankside reservoirs and the use of infiltration systems. The responses to the questionnaire revealed a range of views ranging from the opinion that bankside storage is an essential component of water supply from rivers to the view that intake protection in the form of monitoring is adequate. Strong views were expressed on the need for effective catchment management procedures to be in place for control of both diffuse and point-source pollution.

A cost-benefit analysis has been undertaken, as part of a wider procedure to assess the need for bankside storage and infiltration systems, to illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of selected options. In addition the procedure offers a methodology for assessing the need for such installations, taking account of legal, financial and operational constraints.

The cooperation and assistance of Water Industry staff in this study is gratefully acknowledged.

Copies of this report may be available as an Acrobat pdf download under the 'Pre 2000 Reports' heading on the DWI website.