Rudolph Hooker -- Water Shortages ?
I dropped across a copy of Towpath Networking the other day. It's centre page spread was dedicated to how serious the drought of the summer of 2011 had been, with regard to canal water supplies. However, the examples given were to do with the water reservoirs in the Pennines that feed the Macclesfield and the Trent & Mersey canals. This rather sensational piece of journalism seemed to think that, as the water levels in the reservoirs (after the driest summer in living memory) were only 50 to 60% of their capacity, this represented a serious problem. I beg to differ. The figures quoted were for August. With the autumn / winter rains (and snow?) imminent and the busy season on the canals over, surely there is no problem at this point in time.
Canal Engineers such as Brindley and Jessop would have been pleased to know they had got the capacity of the reservoirs about right. Think about it. If the reservoirs had only 10% left they would have been too small, whereas if they had been 98% full one would question the need for the reservoirs at all!
In these times, when the number of people doing further education in any numerate subject ( Maths and Physics especially) is the square root of bugger all, it comes as no surprise that this sort of alarmist nonsense is peddled in public. It reminds me of the papers produced in the 1800's by Dionysius Lardner. He criticised Brunel's work, claiming among other things, that if the brakes failed on a train in the Box Tunnel it would emerge at over 100mph and passengers in open carriages would, at this speed, suffocate. Complete and utter nonsense of course, but these assertions panicked a public with no formal education. Old boaters are not so easily taken in methinks!
Canal Engineers such as Brindley and Jessop would have been pleased to know they had got the capacity of the reservoirs about right. Think about it. If the reservoirs had only 10% left they would have been too small, whereas if they had been 98% full one would question the need for the reservoirs at all!
In these times, when the number of people doing further education in any numerate subject ( Maths and Physics especially) is the square root of bugger all, it comes as no surprise that this sort of alarmist nonsense is peddled in public. It reminds me of the papers produced in the 1800's by Dionysius Lardner. He criticised Brunel's work, claiming among other things, that if the brakes failed on a train in the Box Tunnel it would emerge at over 100mph and passengers in open carriages would, at this speed, suffocate. Complete and utter nonsense of course, but these assertions panicked a public with no formal education. Old boaters are not so easily taken in methinks!
