Calcutt locks

[Lily Rose]

 

I accept that the following view is influenced by personal interest but here goes anyway.

 

I wonder if it would be possible to re-open Calcutt locks on a much more restricted basis once water levels above and below have stabilised following the imminent full closure of Calcutt and Hillmorton, the reintroduction of pumping at Calcutt and the utilisation of water from Napton reservoir.

 

There are many marinas in the Rugby/Braunston/Napton area and most of these have the benefit of long pounds, either above or below Hillmorton, to play in while the locks are shutdown. However, there are two hire bases (Calcutt and Kate) and two large leisure-only marinas (Calcutt and Ventnor) below Calcutt that only have a relatively short pound and no access to the long pound just above the locks.

 

If Calcutt locks were to be re-opened for 4 hours per day on Monday and Friday only this would give the opportunity for leisure boaters and hirers to go up the locks for weekend, midweek, or 1 week breaks. At the same time it would prevent water being wasted by day trips and would allow the pump to return water over 5 days of 24 hours and 2 days of 20 hours each week. I assume, but don't know for sure, that as long as the pump continues to operate, this would not adversely affect the level of the Braunston pound given the relatively small number of boats that would use the locks compared with Hillmorton if that had a similar arrangement.

 

It would even allow a handful of volockies to get to indulge in their hobby of playing with locks for free. They could also reduce wastage by ensuring that locks only operate with two boats at a time and that up and down movements are co-ordinated.

 

What do others think?

 

 

 

 

Edited August 20 by Lily Rose
Speeling

[Rob-M]

I heard Kate Boats had moved their hire boats to another location.

[Lily Rose]

6 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

I heard Kate Boats had moved their hire boats to another location.

 

That would explain why I haven't seen any about!

 

I think it makes little difference to my suggestion though as ranking the four in order of how useful it would be to them I reckon Kate Boats would have been fourth on the list.

 

 

[Tonka]

20 minutes ago, Lily Rose said:

 

I accept that the following view is influenced by personal interest but here goes anyway.

 

I wonder if it would be possible to re-open Calcutt locks on a much more restricted basis once water levels above and below have stabilised following the imminent full closure of Calcutt and Hillmorton, the reintroduction of pumping at Calcutt and the utilisation of water from Napton reservoir.

 

There are many marinas in the Rugby/Braunston/Napton area and most of these have the benefit of long pounds, either above or below Hillmorton, to play in while the locks are shutdown. However, there are two hire bases (Calcutt and Kate) and two large leisure-only marinas (Calcutt and Ventnor) below Calcutt that only have a relatively short pound and no access to the long pound just above the locks.

 

If Calcutt locks were to be re-opened for 4 hours per day on Monday and Friday only this would give the opportunity for leisure boaters and hirers to go up the locks for weekend, midweek, or 1 week breaks. At the same time it would prevent water being wasted by day trips and would allow the pump to return water over 5 days of 24 hours and 2 days of 20 hours each week. I assume, but don't know for sure, that as long as the pump continues to operate, this would not adversely affect the level of the Braunston pound given the relatively small number of boats that would use the locks compared with Hillmorton if that had a similar arrangement.

 

It would even allow a handful of volockies to get to indulge in their hobby of playing with locks for free. They could also reduce wastage by ensuring that locks only operate with two boats at a time and that up and down movements are co-ordinated.

 

What do others think?

 

 

 

 

But Calcutt Marina have been instructed to put stop planks in the marina entrance. Have Ventnor not been instructed to do similar

[Lily Rose]

5 minutes ago, Tonka said:

But Calcutt Marina have been instructed to put stop planks in the marina entrance. Have Ventnor not been instructed to do similar

 

I'm still not entirely sure why. In fact I have no idea why. I had been under the impression they had chosen to for fear of marina water levels dropping though I have also recently heard they were told to put them in. I still don't know why, not least because once they are in then CRT can no longer make use of water from the reservoir.

 

My understanding is that Ventnor have had a visit from CRT but have not been told to put planks in. Not yet anyway.

 

Edited August 20 by Lily Rose

[Tonka]

4 minutes ago, Lily Rose said:

 

I'm still not entirely sure why. In fact I have no idea why. I had been under the impression they had chosen to for fear of marina water levels dropping though I have also recently heard they were told to put them in. I still don't know why, not least because once they are in then CRT can no longer make use of water from the reservoir.

 

My understanding is that Ventnor have had a visit from CRT but have not been told to put planks in. Not yet anyway.

 

Of course CRT can make use of the Napton Reservoir if Calcutt Marina stop planks are in. The reservoir feeder will fill the Locks and Meadow Marina and once fill the water will simply overflow the stop planks into the canal.

[Lily Rose]

 

Fair enough but then wonders why they were told not to put them in for two weeks. 

[john6767]

Have you spoken with Calcutt, what are they doing with the hire boats?

 

I think there is actually a reasonable argument in what you say, as I also have a vested interest, but it as has been said also need Calcutt not to put the stop planks in

[Lily Rose]

2 minutes ago, john6767 said:

also need Calcutt not to put the stop planks in

 

Agreed but if my suggestion was possible then I'm not sure why there would be any need for the stop planks anyway. My understanding is they want to protect the marina levels as far as possible but that implies CRT intend to restore the level above the locks whilst allowing the level below the locks to fall very low. Maybe they do but it would surprise me if they didn't try to get a reasonable balance between the two levels.

 

I haven't spoken to Calcutt so I don't know what they plan to do about the fleet.

 

[Mike Todd]

23 minutes ago, Lily Rose said:

 

Fair enough but then wonders why they were told not to put them in for two weeks. 

Significantly new in this year's handling of water shortages has been the commitment to give as much notice as possible of a closure, especially one that happens in the short term in a broadly predictable way (unlike an unforeseen breach). This has enabled many boaters to relocate themselves sensibly in that time - something that many boaters have asked for and it would be as well not to criticise CaRT when they do listen!

[magnetman]

22 minutes ago, Lily Rose said:

 

Agreed but if my suggestion was possible then I'm not sure why there would be any need for the stop planks anyway. My understanding is they want to protect the marina levels as far as possible but that implies CRT intend to restore the level above the locks whilst allowing the level below the locks to fall very low. Maybe they do but it would surprise me if they didn't try to get a reasonable balance between the two levels.

 

I haven't spoken to Calcutt so I don't know what they plan to do about the fleet.

 

 

Maybe the stop planks are to protect the canal in the event the marina level goes low and starts to leak after drying out. It could be part of the network access agreement. Restrict access to the network in times of low water levels due to drought. 

 

It does help reduce the number of Boats moving around. 

 

 

I think the stop planks are much more likely to be for protecting the canal than protecting the marina. 

 

 

Isolating the marina in a drought seems enormously sensible. 

A marina is basically a hole in the canal bank. A breach effectively although not an uncontrolled breach. 

[Tonka]

26 minutes ago, Lily Rose said:

 

Agreed but if my suggestion was possible then I'm not sure why there would be any need for the stop planks anyway. My understanding is they want to protect the marina levels as far as possible but that implies CRT intend to restore the level above the locks whilst allowing the level below the locks to fall very low. Maybe they do but it would surprise me if they didn't try to get a reasonable balance between the two levels.

 

I haven't spoken to Calcutt so I don't know what they plan to do about the fleet.

 

Surely the hire fleet could go from above the top lock. But to where if Braunston,  Napton & Hillmorton are closed. Best to cancel this summers trips and hope Autumn will be OK to run

[magnetman]

Isolating the marina also means there is very little opportunity for unauthorised abstraction. 

 

Given that the CRT do not own the land a marina is positioned upon it would presumably be more difficult for them to identify abstraction. 

 

 

 

Although most people take it for granted water is in fact a very valuable resource. 

[Lily Rose]

18 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Maybe the stop planks are to protect the canal in the event the marina level goes low and starts to leak after drying out

 

Possibly so but the marina's own email to moorers said it was to "preserve as much of our water level as possible" and they put that bit in bold.

 

That made it sound like it was for their benefit, not CRT's.

 

[magnetman]

1 minute ago, Lily Rose said:

 

Possibly so but the marina's own email to moorers said it was to "preserve as much of our water level as possible" and they put that bit in bold.

 

That made it sound like it was for their benefit, not CRT's.

 

That would be a good thing to tell the customers. I don't think they would want to send a message saying 'We have been asked to put in stop planks to make it less likely someone is going to abstract water covertly from the marina thus depriving the canal of water'. 

 

I'm think this is something to do with the NAA. 

 

Somebody will know. 

 

[Wafi]

Pure speculation, but I wonder whether CRT don't expect the Braunston/Hillmorton/Napton pound to remain navigable for very long, either because they don't trust the Calcutt pump to keep going, or (more likely) due to the expected rate of water loss. There was talk of the Leicester Arm summit becoming a self-contained pound after the Watford/Foxton flights closed, but I've heard that Yelvertoft now have stop planks, possibly North Kilworth too, in which case that didn't last very long.

[BoatingLifeUpNorth2]

37 minutes ago, Tonka said:

Surely the hire fleet could go from above the top lock. But to where if Braunston,  Napton & Hillmorton are closed. Best to cancel this summers trips and hope Autumn will be OK to run

I think people have to be sensible and realise the next few weeks, months is going to be a “wash out”(well dry out) in terms of boating. CaRT will have to make the decision to close parts of the system, which a lot of boaters will not like, but it may be the best/only option to help the system/reservoirs to recover, if it rains.
 I’m heading back to my HM a month early, but so what I’ve been out since the beginning of April and the low water has caused issues with moving and places to go. But hopefully there’s next year and if I was so upset about it I would sell my boat, but it’s down to the lack of rain and that’s it.

 If CaRT did close the system or parts at the end of the month. Then I would like to see them cracking on doing work on the closed sections and maybe bringing their winter stoppage programmes forward, so it’s not an ideal maintenance time wasted.

 I think people just need to right off this years boating and just return to their HM or get to an adequate mooring for the winter and wait to see what happens, it could last for months?
 

Edited August 20 by BoatingLifeUpNorth2

[Lady M]

I am under the impression that Calcutt lease their site from CRT.

[magnetman]

Oops there goes my theory. 

 

 

[john6767]

Up Hillmorton now, and as I was expecting it is really very low, much much lower than below the locks.

 

There was a UCC hire boat that came down that was being moved to below the locks, not sure exactly where, and a guy was talking to the lock keepers about moving 8 boats down on Monday, not sure which hire company.  It does seem that the Braunston pound is to be sacrificed, and the expectation that below Hillmorton to Atherstone and the Ashby will remain navigable.

 

 

[David Mack]

1 hour ago, john6767 said:

It does seem that the Braunston pound is to be sacrificed, and the expectation that below Hillmorton to Atherstone and the Ashby will remain navigable.

Inevitable. With the locks from the higher pounds that normally feed it all closed, and being fairly short there isn't the incentive to take water from the much longer pound (ignoring Hawkesbury) below Hillmorton, just to keep it up to a navigable depth.

Edited August 20 by David Mack

[Torblimey]

I'm moored at Calcutt and just chatting with the office they are prepped to install stop planks if required.

Hire fleet will move above the locks as they can still be serviced from there.

They are concerned about the whole closure/water issue but are coping as best possible.

[Annie cariad]

Why raised it on here write to CRT 

[Lily Rose]

39 minutes ago, Annie cariad said:

Why raised it on here write to CRT 

 

Because I was simply seeking feedback and other boaters' views. 

 

 

[Dorlan]

Calcutt pump working an hour ago.

 

I've seen Napton reservoir lower in the past than it is this afternoon.