We visit Edgbaston Reservoir: Can Birmingham’s historic canals survive another dry spell?
Richard Gullick reports from Edgbaston Reservoir, where falling water levels raise fresh concerns about Birmingham’s canal network. With national reservoirs running low, what’s being done to protect the waterways that keep the city flowing?
Edgbaston Reservoir's not just a patch of water for dog walkers and joggers – it's the beating heart of Birmingham's canal network.
Built to feed the system almost two centuries ago, it still helps maintain the levels that keep our locks working and our towpaths from turning into puddles of sludge.
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But as levels across the UK drop, I wanted to know what's happening here – so I met with Richard Preston from the Canal & River Trust, the man in charge of operations across the West Midlands, and asked how the current situation is affecting Birmingham's canals.
Lower levels don't just mean less water for boats – they knock on to maintenance schedules, route access, and pressure on teams trying to keep the system functional without draining the reserves.
Add to that the weight of public use, from rowing clubs to swimmers, and it becomes a juggling act. The Canal & River Trust's job is to keep that balance from tipping – and that means managing supply across a huge network of connected sites.
We're in an era where climate patterns are more erratic, and water's becoming an asset that needs managing like any other bit of infrastructure.
What makes things tricky is that the canals weren't built for efficiency – they were built for horses and cargo.
So the Trust now has to work with both engineering from the 1800s and expectations from the 2020s.
Birmingham's canals were once a lifeline for industry – now they're a lifeline for leisure and nature. But either way, they rely on water. And with every dry spell, the pressure builds. How we adapt now will shape the future of this network – and whether it continues to flow or dries up when it's needed most.