Cowroast Lock restricted use

[Fat Boat]

Hi all, just to let you know that Cowroast lock on the grand union is now only open from 8.30am to 4.30pm, no sign of an end date

[LEO]

Hi all, just to let you know that Cowroast lock on the grand union is now only open from 8.30am to 4.30pm, no sign of an end date

 

Hi,

 

This may be due to someone leaving a paddle up at either Cowroast or Bulbourne, the level of water on the summit was the lowest I have ever seen when I called on Tuesday, easily 7ins below the normal 'lower' level.

 

Lots of boats listing,not sure how the boats in the marina are fairing.

 

Will take a lot of pumping to make it up.

 

Leo.

[alan_fincher]

Restriction: Grand Union Canal Cowroast Lock 46

 

26 Oct 2011 until further notice

 

Associated Regional Office: South East Waterways

 

On going vandalism is leaving canal pounds empty and wasting limited water resources. For this reason Lock 46 will only be open between 8:30am - 4:30pm daily as of 26th October 2011.

 

We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

 

(Enquiries: Ian Final 07717 660 205)

 

A shame then that they have allowed nearly all the anti-vandal locks they installed on locks between Northchurch and Berkhamsted to either disappear or end up smashed or broken!

 

I seem to recall seeing them questioned on the topic, and them replying it wasn't now necessary because vandalism and water wastage had largely stopped.

 

Does the fact they don't seem to be able to find a leak in the next pound down from Cow Roast also have a bearing here, I wonder ?

 

It's hard to see how restricting the summit level lock will replace water that is lost below it - I'd have though it was ones further down they need to be restricting.

[matty40s]

A shame then that they have allowed nearly all the anti-vandal locks they installed on locks between Northchurch and Berkhamsted to either disappear or end up smashed or broken!

 

I seem to recall seeing them questioned on the topic, and them replying it wasn't now necessary because vandalism and water wastage had largely stopped.

 

Does the fact they don't seem to be able to find a leak in the next pound down from Cow Roast also have a bearing here, I wonder ?

 

It's hard to see how restricting the summit level lock will replace water that is lost below it - I'd have though it was ones further down they need to be restricting.

 

As Alan says,since Cowroast Lock was repaired two winters ago, the pound below always drops. Almost daily, BW are called out to let water down, this was done by boaters when I moored there, just leaving top and bottom paddles up by one or two notches. Otherwise you woke up in the morning lying on the floor.

Looks like who ever is mooring there now is just opening the paddles completely.

 

i am sure in the marina they havn't noticed, they will just have settled on the mud two inches lower than they usually float.

[LEO]

i am sure in the marina they havn't noticed, they will just have settled on the mud two inches lower than they usually float.

 

One problem in the marina is the slipway which cannot be used if the water level gets too low, the skegs on boats catch as they are slipped.

 

Also depends how tightly boats are tied to the pontoons, not sure if BWML staff will go round adjusting ropes, as Topping's staff used to do.

 

There is ridge of concrete across the marina entrance which causes problems to deep draughted boats using the entrance when water levels are low.

 

Leo.

[nigel carton]

is this restriction still in force?

[koukouvagia]

is this restriction still in force?

 

It was yesterday. The reason for is is that someone in the Dudswell pound, which has a leak and is subject to fluctuating levels, opened the paddles one evening and forgot to lower them again! BW was alerted later that night by people in the cottages which were in danger of inundation.

Because the Marsworth reservoirs are almost empty, BW has decided to lock the paddles out of hours until the suspected miscreant moves on.

[nigel carton]

nice! thanks for that

[MtB]

It was yesterday. The reason for is is that someone in the Dudswell pound, which has a leak and is subject to fluctuating levels, opened the paddles one evening and forgot to lower them again! BW was alerted later that night by people in the cottages which were in danger of inundation.

Because the Marsworth reservoirs are almost empty, BW has decided to lock the paddles out of hours until the suspected miscreant moves on.

 

Hmmmm that's an odd thing for them to say. Are they saying that a known, specific boater is believed to be the miscreant but no proof exists, and when he/she/they move on the paddle locks will be removed?

[Neil TNC]

Hmmmm that's an odd thing for them to say. Are they saying that a known, specific boater is believed to be the miscreant but no proof exists, and when he/she/they move on the paddle locks will be removed?

 

Probably the same bloke that was dropping water when we came through a couple of weeks ago. The BW bods were aware and pointed out his boat!

[BlueStringPudding]

A shame then that they have allowed nearly all the anti-vandal locks they installed on locks between Northchurch and Berkhamsted to either disappear or end up smashed or broken!

 

I seem to recall seeing them questioned on the topic, and them replying it wasn't now necessary because vandalism and water wastage had largely stopped.

 

Does the fact they don't seem to be able to find a leak in the next pound down from Cow Roast also have a bearing here, I wonder ?

 

It's hard to see how restricting the summit level lock will replace water that is lost below it - I'd have though it was ones further down they need to be restricting.

 

Not a lot me vandalism at Cow Roast lock or at Bulbourne. Kids can't be arsed to walk that far. The summit pound has been low coz the reservoirs are empty, that's all. Starting to rise again now, thank goodness, tired of spending life at a jaunty angle

 

A shame then that they have allowed nearly all the anti-vandal locks they installed on locks between Northchurch and Berkhamsted to either disappear or end up smashed or broken!

 

I seem to recall seeing them questioned on the topic, and them replying it wasn't now necessary because vandalism and water wastage had largely stopped.

 

Does the fact they don't seem to be able to find a leak in the next pound down from Cow Roast also have a bearing here, I wonder ?

 

It's hard to see how restricting the summit level lock will replace water that is lost below it - I'd have though it was ones further down they need to be restricting.

 

Not a lot of vandalism at Cow Roast lock or at Bulbourne. Kids can't be arsed to walk that far. The summit pound has been low coz the reservoirs are empty, that's all. Starting to rise again now, thank goodness, tired of spending life at a jaunty angle

[LEO]

Not a lot me vandalism at Cow Roast lock or at Bulbourne. Kids can't be arsed to walk that far. The summit pound has been low coz the reservoirs are empty, that's all. Starting to rise again now, thank goodness, tired of spending life at a jaunty angle

 

H.,

 

The summit level has been maintained because of pumping from the bore hole near to Cowroast lock, this pump has been running 24 hours a day.

 

BW do run water down towards Berko during the week, but they remember to drop the paddles when they have finished.

 

Leo.

[alan_fincher]

Not a lot of vandalism at Cow Roast lock or at Bulbourne. Kids can't be arsed to walk that far. The summit pound has been low coz the reservoirs are empty, that's all. Starting to rise again now, thank goodness, tired of spending life at a jaunty angle

Yes,

 

I accept from some of the info subsequently posted, tghis particular on doesn't sound like deliberate vandalism.

 

However it is simply not true is it to say that the issues are to do with not enough water in the reservoirs alone ?

 

Clearly some idiot boaters have made the situation here far worse than it needs to be, and not just on this latest occasion.

 

As an aside, we witnessed what must have been a completely unnecessary non-BW intervention further up on Sunday.

 

The pound between "Peter's Two" at Marsworth was initially severely down, but not by so much that any of the boats moving that day could not have got between the locks without too much bother.

 

By the time we came back the other way, someone had run down enough water to brim it completely.

 

No doubt they either felt it necessary, or that they were being helpful, but with water as sparse as it is, I'd argue that leaving it a bit low is actually the less wasteful option, provided traffic can still pass.

 

BW usually apply a lot more intelligence when running water down than do some who take it upon themselves!

[nigel carton]

Was round Cowroast area a couple of days ago, there wasn't a big problem with the summit pound, and the pound after Cowroast lock, .... however I was shocked to see how the reservoir adj to the Marsworth fight was so low, infact very low.

I heard that the flight could be shut untill further notice, however this was a rumour so not sure.

I was even more shocked that the pub at the bottom of the flight had been shut for about a year.

Edited November 7, 2011 by nigel carton

[alan_fincher]

....however I was shocked to see how the reservoir adj to the Marsworth fight was so low, infact very low.

Perhaps because some idiot boaters keep wasting excessive amounts of the water they did have ?

 

There's still the Angler's Retreat and the Red Lion, so BEER still possible.

[nigel carton]

Its going to take a lot of rain to fill it back up.

[alan_fincher]

Its going to take a lot of rain to fill it back up.

Agreed, and a shame that people are compounding the situation.

 

I have no current knowledge on the situation there, but one ray of hope may be that there are of course multiple reservoirs, and the ones nearest the canal are not the biggest. It is possible while they are doing badly, that one you don't see from the cut is in a better state ?

[BlueStringPudding]

I walked up there a couple of weeks ago. It's not very much better

 

I walked up there a couple of weeks ago. It's not very much better

[carlt]

I walked up there a couple of weeks ago. It's not very much better

 

I walked up there a couple of weeks ago. It's not very much better

have you got a new mouse too?

 

I've just replaced my old one because the left clicky got sticky.

 

I can't get used to not hammering it, to get it work, so I keep double posting.

[BlueStringPudding]

Ha! No, it's because I've got a poor internet connection. Sometimes it double posts if the connection gets interrupted partway through uploading a comment

It does the same to me on Facebook sometimes

Edited November 8, 2011 by BlueStringPudding

[Fat Boat]

to be honest the pounds below the lock is not too bad now. i was ropehauling the boat through there on saturday (bloody gearbox) and even with a fairly full water level for that pound i noticed that for the whole lenght of the pound and the one below i was scraping off the bottom, the sides have built up and needs to be dredged. If you moor on that pound and it drops more than 6" most boats are sitting on the bottom but there is plently of depth mid channel

 

The summit pound is back up again although there are a lot of local rumour about the flight to marsworth being locked soon for the rest of winter but i cant find any info about it

[alan_fincher]

Some water will have been needed to fill up the short pound between Ravens lane Lock (54) and Rising Sun Lock (55) in Berkhamsted today.

 

When I walked along this morning, there wasn't a lot more than a ribbon of water down the deepest channel in the middle.

 

At least 4 foot of water "missing" I'd say.

 

(Still, at least I know which bit has the shopping trollies in now!).

[Batavia]

(Still, at least I know which bit has the shopping trollies in now!).

 

Alan,

 

Please give us a hint as to where they are!

 

Chris G

[alan_fincher]

Alan,

 

Please give us a hint as to where they are!

 

Chris G

Outside the boat, about 3 feet from bank.....

 

However, right in mid channel, about half way along, a big "obelisk" stuck up from the remaining water, that a deep draughted boat could hit quite easily, even with the pound full.

 

I thought initially it was rock or concrete, so it looked quite worrying, but as I walked down I saw if was a "keep left" bollard.

 

I hope any of our boats is capable of taking that out without any "collateral!

[Batavia]

I thought initially it was rock or concrete, so it looked quite worrying, but as I walked down I saw if was a "keep left" bollard.

 

Probably one of the ones which used to disappear regularly from the traffic island near our hosue, when we lived in the High Street - just need to loacte the other 19 now...............

 

Chris G