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Kennet and Avon Summit closed


Tim Lewis

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Luckily we went through yesterday?

 

From Date: 23/06/2019 09:00

To Date: On-going

Type: Navigation Closure

Reason: Water resources

Is the towpath closed? No

Location

Closest waterway: Kennet & Avon Canal

Starts at: Lock 51, Wootton Rivers

Ends at: Lock 60, Crofton Lock

Description

Due to an issue with one of the pumps at Caen Hill, there is not enough water getting in to the Long Pound (Devizes Lock 50 to Wootton Rivers Lock) to enable any transfer of water via the Wootton Rivers pumping station up to the Crofton summit.

As a result of the corresponding low levels on the Crofton summit, we unfortunately need to close the canal today between Wootton Rivers lock and Crofton lock 60.

We will assess the situation again on Monday morning and provide a further update at this time.

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Seen on Facebook the limited opening will be for 'essential journeys'. Not in the area so this is pure curiosity, but how on earth is a definition of essential arrived at? Suspect this is office staff wording an email and the reality on the ground will be those queuing longest go first?

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18 hours ago, Dave123 said:

Seen on Facebook the limited opening will be for 'essential journeys'. Not in the area so this is pure curiosity, but how on earth is a definition of essential arrived at? Suspect this is office staff wording an email and the reality on the ground will be those queuing longest go first?

Hire boats trapped away from base, boaters booked into a dry dock the other side of the stoppage, boaters heading back to their home mooring.

 

However, none of that butters any parsnips if the level is too low through Bruce Tunnel, then no really is no 

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When the pumps at Croften failed a few years ago didn't BW pay for the beam engine to run until their pumps were fixed. That was a win win situation,  however if it would help this time it would be beyond the wit of Cart to organise it!

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2 hours ago, Loddon said:

When the pumps at Croften failed a few years ago didn't BW pay for the beam engine to run until their pumps were fixed. That was a win win situation,  however if it would help this time it would be beyond the wit of Cart to organise it!

Perhaps beyond the WILL of CRT to fix it

After all it's mebe more concerned with being a charity....

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3 hours ago, Loddon said:

When the pumps at Croften failed a few years ago didn't BW pay for the beam engine to run until their pumps were fixed. That was a win win situation,  however if it would help this time it would be beyond the wit of Cart to organise it!

One problem is that the water is coming from a different place - Water is backpumped to the summit all the way from Bath, so is drawn from the west side of the watershed and is ultimately returned there (obviously not the exact same molecules, but the same amount) whereas Wilton Water is east of the watershed, and the canal donwstream of Crofton depends on this so these days Crofton is also just a back pump, replacing lockage water that is drained to the east - when Crofton pumps fail then the steam pumps can be called upon, but it messes up the distribution if these are used in place of the western pumps

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2 hours ago, magpie patrick said:

One problem is that the water is coming from a different place - Water is backpumped to the summit all the way from Bath, so is drawn from the west side of the watershed and is ultimately returned there (obviously not the exact same molecules, but the same amount) whereas Wilton Water is east of the watershed, and the canal donwstream of Crofton depends on this so these days Crofton is also just a back pump, replacing lockage water that is drained to the east - when Crofton pumps fail then the steam pumps can be called upon, but it messes up the distribution if these are used in place of the western pumps

Hence why I said if it would help as I wasn't familiar with the layout.

Edited by Loddon
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4 minutes ago, Loddon said:

Hence why I said if it would help as I wasn't familiar with the layout.

No worries, historically Wilton was the supply to both sides - but traffic was lighter then than now and there weren't so many houses needing drinking water. 

 

The pound that Crofton draws from is the same height as the long pound the other side of the summit - originally a four mile long tunnel was planned, but the company lost their nereve and built four locks up at Wooton Rivers and Six at Crofton - the Crofton ascent has shallower locks as the main point of the pumps was to feed the western side and lockage down back to Crofton was a blimin nuisance - now it's the reverse

 

The locks below Crofton are simply a gravity feed from Wilton Water - had the tunnel been built this would have served both sides of the summit

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