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- The story
The story
We’re planning for the future – together
Water’s essential to our everyday life, wellbeing, and environment. It’s a precious resource and considering how water is resourced and managed is vital to securing a sustainable water supply for the future, for everyone who needs it.
Every five years, water companies in England and Wales have a statutory duty to produce a Water Resources Management Plan or WRMP, setting out the options they have to supply water in their areas in the long-term, to address future water resource challenges.
One of the options identified by Affinity Water in their WRMP, to meet the challenge of a future water supply deficit in their supply area, is the Grand Union Canal Transfer. This scheme will transfer up to 115 million litres of water along the Coventry, Oxford and Grand Union canals, owned and managed by the Canal & River Trust, from a water recycling centre in Birmingham in Severn Trent’s supply area, to Affinity Water’s areas of deficit in the Southeast.
Affinity Water and Severn Trent will work together as water companies to develop and deliver the scheme, using the canal network, owned and managed by the Canal & River Trust.
On this page
Our Phase Two Public Consultation is now closed
Our Phase Two Public Consultation for the Grand Union Canal Transfer ran for seven weeks, from 11 February until 2 April 2026, and is now closed.
Visit our Consultation materials page to read more about our proposals.
The Grand Union Canal Transfer scheme
We’ll need a combination of new pipelines, water treatment plants, other infrastructure, and investment in the canals to enable water to be transferred through them.
Starting the journey
Starting at the water recycling centre in Birmingham, water is planned to be transferred via a new pipeline into the Coventry Canal at Atherstone, where it will begin its journey along the Oxford Canal and then the Grand Union Canal.
On its way
Water will be helped on its way by using the existing canal network. In addition to investing in some new pumps and pipes, plus other improvement works required along the canal, we’ll explore ways to bring benefits to the environment, local communities, and canal customers and users. We’ll seek to minimise and mitigate any disruption while we carry out our improvements.
Where it ends up
Once it has been transferred through the canal network, the water will be piped from the canal, stored, and treated again at a new water treatment works, before being transferred as clean drinking water into Affinity Water’s supply network for customers.
The Grand Union Canal Transfer is a great example of organisations working together to address future challenges and provide a roadmap for a reliable, sustainable, and affordable water supply to customers, whilst taking care of the local environment.
