CRT water conservation strategy on the L&L

[nicknorman]

Last year the L&L ran out of water. This year CRT acted early to put restrictions on various lock flights, only opening them for 7 or 8 hours a day, to conserve water. And of course we have the notices everywhere telling us to close all paddles and gates on exiting locks. Fair enough.

 

So can someone explain why CRT think that it is a good idea to close flights of locks to save water - by padlocking the bottom gates OPEN?

 

Moored below Barrowford waiting for them to open at 10am tomorrow with the bottom gates padlocked open, the top gates fairly leaky and the next pound nearly empty already, at 9 pm with 13 hours to run.  Admittedly it is a short pound but surely it would be sensible and set a good example to padlock the gates closed!? Or am I naive?

[TheBiscuits]

Just now, nicknorman said:

Last year the L&L ran out of water. This year CRT acted early to put restrictions on various lock flights, only opening them for 7 or 8 hours a day, to conserve water. And of course we have the notices everywhere telling us to close all paddles and gates on exiting locks. Fair enough.

 

So can someone explain why CRT think that it is a good idea to close flights of locks to save water - by padlocking the bottom gates OPEN?

 

Moored below Barrowford waiting for them to open at 10am tomorrow with the bottom gates padlocked open, the top gates fairly leaky and the next pound nearly empty already, at 9 pm with 13 hours to run.  Admittedly it is a short pound but surely it would be sensible and set a good example to padlock the gates closed!? Or am I naive?

Nah, we are ingenious boaters in the North West. 

 

When they closed the canal for nearly 2 months last year, they locked bottom gates open and removed the paddle racks from the headgates and the ground paddles to stop anyone working the lock anyway.  They used to just lock the paddlegear shut, but I have seen a bloke use two lengths of 4" hose to syphon over the top gates to work it!

[nicknorman]

8 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

Nah, we are ingenious boaters in the North West. 

 

When they closed the canal for nearly 2 months last year, they locked bottom gates open and removed the paddle racks from the headgates and the ground paddles to stop anyone working the lock anyway.  They used to just lock the paddlegear shut, but I have seen a bloke use two lengths of 4" hose to syphon over the top gates to work it!

If you were that desperate, surely a pair of bolt cutters in the dead of night would be easier?

[TheBiscuits]

Just now, nicknorman said:

If you were that desperate, surely a pair of bolt cutters in the dead of night would be easier?

Behind the times Nick - battery angle grinders start at £40 these days!

[Midnight]

26 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Last year the L&L ran out of water. This year CRT acted early to put restrictions on various lock flights, only opening them for 7 or 8 hours a day, to conserve water. And of course we have the notices everywhere telling us to close all paddles and gates on exiting locks. Fair enough.

 

So can someone explain why CRT think that it is a good idea to close flights of locks to save water - by padlocking the bottom gates OPEN?

 

Moored below Barrowford waiting for them to open at 10am tomorrow with the bottom gates padlocked open, the top gates fairly leaky and the next pound nearly empty already, at 9 pm with 13 hours to run.  Admittedly it is a short pound but surely it would be sensible and set a good example to padlock the gates closed!? Or am I naive?

Why would you think anyone at C&RT above ground has any idea how canals work?
BTW welcome to Yorkshire when you get here.
 

[nicknorman]

18 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

Behind the times Nick - battery angle grinders start at £40 these days!

Yeabut bolt cutters are quieter!

[jonathanA]

No danger of anyone from CRT hearing you on that stretch... (apart from the chuggers or arty farty types nailing poems to trees )

 

i think midnight has it right some Pratt in an office has no doubt decided what should be done.... 

 

having been affected twice by closure of the L&L once in 2010 and again last year we have moved off that stretch. 

 

Totally unnecessary in my opinion in 2010 and Mismanagement last year.... 

[nicknorman]

1 minute ago, jonathanA said:

No danger of anyone from CRT hearing you on that stretch... (apart from the chuggers or arty farty types nailing poems to trees )

 

i think midnight has it right some Pratt in an office has no doubt decided what should be done.... 

 

having been affected twice by closure of the L&L once in 2010 and again last year we have moved off that stretch. 

 

Totally unnecessary in my opinion in 2010 and Mismanagement last year.... 

I am a bit surprised to see Barrowford reservoir looking quite low, despite the recent torrential rain and flooding. Is that reservoir just filled from the canal summit pound? And is all the water used to feed the canal further down, or is any of it sold off elsewhere?

[jonathanA]

Not sure. I think it’s topped up by the excess from the summit pound and feeds in just uphill of the motorway bridge.   

 

In fairness crt have done some work to improve barrowford locks they are much better than they were a few years ago. 

[Pluto]

9 hours ago, nicknorman said:

I am a bit surprised to see Barrowford reservoir looking quite low, despite the recent torrential rain and flooding. Is that reservoir just filled from the canal summit pound? And is all the water used to feed the canal further down, or is any of it sold off elsewhere?

When the reservoir was built, it was designed to take any excess off the summit to provide an additional feed into Lancashire. There was much a greater volume of traffic in Lancashire, so additional supplies were needed. At one time, they were going to double the size of the reservoir. The graph shows how reservoir capacity was enlarged to serve growing traffic. I estimate the current usage over the summit at about 1795 levels. The current water supply problems are a result of poor maintenance over the last 100 years, not just in BW/CRT times.

[Neil2]

11 hours ago, nicknorman said:

Last year the L&L ran out of water. This year CRT acted early to put restrictions on various lock flights, only opening them for 7 or 8 hours a day, to conserve water. And of course we have the notices everywhere telling us to close all paddles and gates on exiting locks. Fair enough.

 

So can someone explain why CRT think that it is a good idea to close flights of locks to save water - by padlocking the bottom gates OPEN?

 

Moored below Barrowford waiting for them to open at 10am tomorrow with the bottom gates padlocked open, the top gates fairly leaky and the next pound nearly empty already, at 9 pm with 13 hours to run.  Admittedly it is a short pound but surely it would be sensible and set a good example to padlock the gates closed!? Or am I naive?

How about the weather forecasters were predicting thunderstorms in the North West with a risk of flash flooding.  Yes, I know that's Olympic standard clutching at straws...

[Psychalist]

Interesting graphic. Rishton pound very full yesterday after the weekend's deluge.

[cuthound]

14 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:

Behind the times Nick - battery angle grinders start at £40 these days!

 

Yeah but battery angle grinders don't last long of you use them to try and get a mattress off the prop ?

[pearley]

They definitely were not chained open 2 weeks ago when we moored just below the locks.

[nicknorman]

2 hours ago, pearley said:

They definitely were not chained open 2 weeks ago when we moored just below the locks.

Well they were last night!

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

17 hours ago, nicknorman said:

Well they were last night!

Did you find the reasoning behind it?