Reservoirs losing their capacity

I WAS most pleased to read the comment from Howard Clarke about the reservoirs serving the Grand Union, writes Paul Hollins.

From his various images and comments over so many years, he obviously know what he is talking about, so pleased to read his comments about the reservoirs silting-up and losing their capacity to hold so much water.

Deteriorating into mud

This is right, as I have walked the Sutton and Bosley reservoirs on the Macclesfield Canal for around 25 years and slowly seen solid banks deteriorating into mud flats as soil in washed down in heavy rain though gullies that have become chocked-up allowing water to come over the top and down the banks, taking the soil with it.

I have never known a reservoir to be dredged, and as a fisherman as well as a boater have regularly been to other reservoirs to fish, and can agree that decent size fish seem to have long gone, with perhaps so much silt being the reason.

I have seen boats used for dredging the canals, but never on any reservoirs, and don't believe there has been on the ones I've visited otherwise there would not be so much mud.

It is obvious with so many water shortages being reported that the reservoirs can no longer hold the capacity they did, and have to agree with Howard about their being silted-up, so not able to supply the canals.