A case study of a dam/reservoir: Rutland Water

Economic Effects/Issues:
The reservoir boosts the local economy - it's a popular tourist attraction
because of the wildlife and recreation facilities.

Around 6 km2 of land was flooded to create the reservoir. This included
farmland, so some farmers lost their livelihoods.

Social Effects/Issues:
Lots of recreational activities take place on and around the reservoir, e.g.
sailing, windsurfing, birdwatching and cycling.
Many jobs have been created to build and maintain the reservoir and to
run the nature reserve and recreational activities.
Schools use the reservoir for educational visits.
Two villages were demolished to make way for the reservoir.
Environmental Effects/Issues:
Rutland Water is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSCI) - an area
where wildlife is protected.
Hundreds of species of birds live around the reservoir and tens of
thousands of waterfowl (birds that live on or near water) come to Rutland
Water over the winter.
A variety of habitats are found around the reservoir, e.g. marshes,
mudflats and lagoons. This means lots of different animals live in or
around the reservoir.
Ospreys (fish-eating birds of prey that were extinct in Britain) have been
reintroduced to central England by the Rutland Osprey Project at the
reservoir.
A large area of land was flooded to create the reservoir, which destroyed
some habitats.

The need for sustainable supplies:

The supply of water from the reservoir has to be sustainable. This means
that people should be able to get all the water they need today, without
stopping people in the future from having enough water.
Basically, people today can't deplete the water supply or damage the
environment too much, or the supply won't be the same in the future.
To use the reservoir in a sustainable way people can only take out as much
water as is replaced by the rivers that supply it. That way, the supply will
stay the same for the future.