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Scottish Canals

6th September, 2024

Falkirk wheel

Scottish Canals are responsible for managing over 4100 assets that comprise our five Scottish canals, as well as the bridges, buildings, locks, water supply reservoirs and landmarks like the Falkirk Wheel and the Kelpies that make up Scotland’s inland waterways network. Much of this 140-mile network is inland, with only 6 coastal connections that are vulnerable to rising sea levels. The rest of the network is reasonably resilient to climate impacts in the short term, and can even contribute to resilience more broadly through initiatives such as the Glasgow Smart Canal Project. The Smart Canal is helping to manage flood risk and move water resources during projected hotter and drier summers.

Each one of its diverse assets has unique management and maintenance challenges which must be addressed to ensure that they remain safe and available for the millions of visitors who use the network each year. In the long term climate change will alter the way the assets deteriorate, and Scottish Canals’ Asset Management Strategy ensures that when making management decisions, climate impacts are taken into consideration, such as potential changes in rainfall, temperature and extreme weather that will contribute to the deterioration of assets.

To respond to uncertainty around how climate change will interact with its assets in the long term, Scottish Canals have developed a flexible planning approach to manage its assets in a way that is responsive to emerging risks. The Asset Management Strategy outlines how they will manage their priorities until 2030 to ensure the safety and long term sustainability of their assets. This long-term strategic direction is delivered through a 3 year forward looking Asset Management Plan that is reviewed and updated on an annual basis. This flexible management cycle allows Scottish Canals to take new and emerging risks into account, including those related to climate change.

Our flexible, risk-based approach to asset management is agile and responsive to direct and indirect climate impacts, allowing us to prioritise and plan a work programme that keeps Scotland’s canals safe and productive

Peter Robinson
Falkirk wheel

Video of Scottish Canals case study