Inter-basin water transfers and drought management in the Kielder/Derwent system

During the dry years between 1989 and 1994, inter-basin water transfers fro m the Kielder system augmented flows in the River Derwent, and these flows substituted compensation releases from Del went reservoir to retain storage for supply and recreational purposes. The paper discusses the use of the Kielder transfers together with their im pact upon (a) flow regime, (b) water quality, and (c) instream ecology of t he River Derwent. Also, implications of the increasing use of water transfe rs in the UK are critically evaluated from the perspective of sustainabilit y.