EUROPE'S first "smart-canal" scheme to prevent flooding and lay the foundations for thousands of new homes has been unveiled for Glasgow.
The £17 million project will combine the 250-year-old Forth & Clyde Canal with 21st century technology to mitigate flood risk as well as enable massive regeneration.
Digital surface water drainage systems will unlock 110 hectares across the north of the city for investment, regeneration and development, paving the way for more than 3,000 new homes.
The system will use sensors to provide early warnings to allow excess rainfall from residential and business areas to be moved into stretches of the canal where water levels have been lowered.
The project to create a so-called "sponge city" - a term used to describe how cities respond to surface water flooding - will see north Glasgow re-direct rainfall.
Advanced warning of heavy rainfall will automatically trigger a lowering of the canal water level to create capacity for rainwater run-off.
Before periods of heavy rain, canal water will be moved through a network of drainage ponds and granite channels.
Above: Firhill Basin, Glasgow
The project is being delivered through a partnership of Glasgow City Council, Scottish Canals and Scottish Water under the umbrella of the Metropolitan Glasgow Strategic Drainage Scheme - a Glasgow City Region City Deal project - and a 60 year service agreement.
Susan Aitken, Glasgow City Council leader, said the move marks "the introduction of cutting-edge technology that will both allow surface water in this part of the city to be managed, and allow the building of new homes and businesses on land that historically have been unfit for development".
She added: "It is very exciting to see such smart technology in operation in Glasgow - one of very few examples in the world - and we can look forward to it playing a key role in the continued regeneration of Glasgow’s canal and the north of the city.”
Catherine Topley, chief executive of Scottish Canals, said: “By unlocking the inherent value of Glasgow’s canal and diversifying how we use this publicly-owned heritage asset, we are ensuring it continues to deliver for local people 250 years after it was first built.
"Creating a dynamic urban canal which uses smart technology to move water safely about the city will not only reduce the flood risk impact of climate change, but act as a catalyst for new investment, jobs, homes and businesses in North Glasgow as well as help to create one of the city’s top tourist destinations.”
- Read more: Lesley Banks on painting the Scottish canals
Simon Parsons, of Scottish Water, said: "This will help manage the impact of climate change on the sewer network.
"This is the sort of development that we are wanting to see more of and are working with local authorities across Scotland under our Storm Water Strategy to deliver.”
The scheme is connected to regenerating five new sites over the next 10-15 years, including Sighthill, Hamiltonhill, Ruchill Hospital, Cowlairs and Dundashill.
The capital funding for the scheme comes from the Glasgow City Region City Deal, the Green Infrastructure Fund, and Scotland’s 8th City - the Smart City.
Above: Speirs Locks, Glasgow
Separately, earlier this year Scottish Canals launched a new strategy setting out how the organisation will manage and prioritise works on the wider infrastructure of the nation’s waterways between now and 2030 in the face of a £70m repair backlog.
It said that it needed up to £9m more each year on top of the grant-in-aid of around £11 million it receives annually from the Scottish Government for the management of 140 miles of inland waterways and more than 4,100 individual assets.
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