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Welcome to this issue of Dams and Reservoirs, which contains papers on a range of topics.

Climate change is affecting us in many ways, not least in the provision of adequate water supplies. Julian Welbank's paper explains that a study of water resource development in England has commenced, with reservoirs being a potential solution. However, we as reservoir engineers need to be involved in the debate, and to be proactive in espousing the benefits of reservoirs.

Studies for suitable reservoir sites often involve data collected by satellite, and indeed satellites are increasingly being used to monitor existing dams and reservoirs, using a variety of sensors. Different satellites can provide a range of resolutions and revisit frequencies, and Craig Goff's paper gives an overview of what data can be made available to the dam engineer.

For some historic reservoirs little information is available, so when Natural Resources Wales found its stock of registered reservoirs suddenly increased due to legislation, it was case of carrying out physical inspections on the ground to assess the safety of these reservoirs. Darren Shaw tells us how this was done, and how one reservoir was brought up to standard.

Bringing old dams up to modern safety standards can often require innovative solutions, and Stephen Lockett explains how the outlet pipe of one Scottish dam was surveyed and relined underwater while retaining the reservoir at top water level throughout.

Flood detention reservoirs have been the most common type of reservoir constructed in the UK in recent years. But do they always provide the standard of flood alleviation intended – and will they continue to do so in the future? Stephanie Mergen's paper of a study of 56 such reservoirs in England suggests that many will have insufficient capacity if peak flows and runoff volumes increase as predicted due to climate change.