Conspiracy or Vandalism?

[jenlyn]

The water levels on the lower GU Paddington arm have been fluctuating quite significantly over the past few months, usually overnight. Having travelled to Brentford several times and finding no obvious reason, we have moved closer to London. We had a visitor last night who had come through Camden on Tuesday, he informed me that he had found Camden lock east gates open, with the west gates paddles up, at 1 in the morning. This is the second person to mention this in the last week. On top of that, BW are sending water through Cowley lock on a daily basis, what's going on? If the Camden lock is being abused, why dont BW put locks on the paddles? Or, are they feeding water to the lower Lea?

[WJM]

It is a massive pound - in all it is over twenty miles of continuous water. Surely you would have to leave a paddle open for a very long time to have any affect on the level?

[classicstove]

If a paddle is left up on a long pound, then a gradient is created from the paddle to the end of the pound as bridges and other restrictions slow down the flow of water

 

After hours of the paddle being left up, and closure can result in a flooding around the lock, if there is not much freeboard, as the mass of water continues to move !

[sheriff]

Yes it was me who came through late at night,I found camden gushing with water..the two top locks had both sets of bottom gates open and all eight paddles fully open.all the lock paddles on all of camdens locks were all up both ends.

 

I shut the locks up..and continued to little venice and moored,at around 9am I spoke to a young BW workers who was checking the bins at the water point and I asked if they had any knowledge of this...reply no..he then walked off.

 

These locks need to be locked and paddles locked down at night,every night all year..because there is a lot of abuse regarding those locks....I travel across camden at night as I have total freedom and control with out idiots getting in my way or distracting me.....I find it frightening to see such a criminal waste of water..

 

I dont believe this is a one off...

 

 

Sheriff

Edited March 1, 2012 by sheriff

[matty40s]

It isn't a one off.

 

I was moored in Paddington Basin in the second half of December last year. Everywhere outside the basin was completely frozen. I noticed the boat was almost a foot down on its normal level and struggled to get my bike off the front.

I caled the local BW office at about 10am and informed them, they weren't aware, they mentioned for me to call the emergency line, so I did, and they were also not aware.

From what DebbiFiggy posted on here later in the day or next day, someone had done exactly the same, and the results had been worse with parts of the towpath damaged and some property flooded.

This also co-oincided with a break out of frozen in boats from Kensal Green who had apparently endured several days of break-ins (some when they were actually on the boats). The thinking was they dropped the water level to break the ice enough to escape. However, the damage caused was uncalled for. (Even Jenlyn found himself at an angle near Cowley!!!!!)

[Leonie]

The water levels on the lower GU Paddington arm have been fluctuating quite significantly over the past few months, usually overnight. Having travelled to Brentford several times and finding no obvious reason, we have moved closer to London. We had a visitor last night who had come through Camden on Tuesday, he informed me that he had found Camden lock east gates open, with the west gates paddles up, at 1 in the morning. This is the second person to mention this in the last week. On top of that, BW are sending water through Cowley lock on a daily basis, what's going on? If the Camden lock is being abused, why dont BW put locks on the paddles? Or, are they feeding water to the lower Lea?

 

Matty has beaten me to it. This happened through winter last year as well.

[carlt]

reply no..he then walked off...

 

 

Without waiting to be dismissed and saluting??

[soldthehouse]

Without waiting to be dismissed and saluting??

Seems standards have gone to hell in a basket, thankfully up north civilisation still abounds

[sheriff]

Without waiting to be dismissed and saluting??

as much as I look someone up and down who has there hands in there pockets,"without waiting to be dismissed and saluting "???I do know IM now on civi street.

 

recently the way the workforce are treated in BW in London,I do get the feeling BW blue shirts have gave up hope and appear not to care....I care about any water loss..because its a shocking waste of a resource,imagine the reaction of people who have to walk miles to find any water in some places in the world.

 

some boaters are selfish and when other boaters stand by and do not condone bad behaviour they are as bad as them....its easy to do nothing.I like to think about other people,who love locking in camden,with people milling around.

 

one day,and maybe soon those who abuse our watersways will find the cut empty,fish dead,business out of trade,no more water....for periods..

 

 

 

just a thought there's camera at camden locks

[soldthehouse]

...I care about any water loss..because its a shocking waste of a resource,imagine the reaction of people who have to walk miles to find any water in some places in the world.

 

some boaters are selfish

 

 

 

Strictly speaking theres no such thing as water loss, just repositioning. Ones mans "loss" is another mans gain. If water is moving from one part of a system to another its just the case that someone some where else is getting the benefit. Like you say in your post some boaters are selfish, but dont think for a minute that any water flowing to another part of a canal is lost forever into some black hole, it just carries on, on its jouney prematurely for some but early for others and this may cause some one a little inconvenience, so be it

Edited March 1, 2012 by soldthehouse

[Morat]

Strictly speaking theres no such thing as water loss, just repositioning. Ones mans "loss" is another mans gain. If water is moving from one part of a system to another its just the case that someone some where else is getting the benefit. Like you say in your post some boaters are selfish, but dont think for a minute that any water flowing to another part of a canal is lost forever into some black hole, it just carries on, on its jouney prematurely for some but early for others and this may cause some one a little inconvenience, so be it

 

That's got to take a prize for "most willfully obtuse" post for today!

Congrats, have a brownie

[mayalld]

Strictly speaking theres no such thing as water loss, just repositioning. Ones mans "loss" is another mans gain. If water is moving from one part of a system to another its just the case that someone some where else is getting the benefit. Like you say in your post some boaters are selfish, but dont think for a minute that any water flowing to another part of a canal is lost forever into some black hole, it just carries on, on its jouney prematurely for some but early for others and this may cause some one a little inconvenience, so be it

 

Strictly speaking, this is wrong, because;

 

1) Ultimately, water will flow down to a point where it is lost to the system

2) Your theory assumes that repositioned water is the same before and after its repositioning, whilst it has actually changed its potential energy.

[Allan(nb Albert)]

Well known fact - water is never lost in London until the 12th person has drunk it.

[Barry]

Strictly speaking theres no such thing as water loss, just repositioning. Ones mans "loss" is another mans gain. If water is moving from one part of a system to another its just the case that someone some where else is getting the benefit. Like you say in your post some boaters are selfish, but dont think for a minute that any water flowing to another part of a canal is lost forever into some black hole, it just carries on, on its jouney prematurely for some but early for others and this may cause some one a little inconvenience, so be it

 

I can't agree with that - the water will eventually end up in the sea - its lost to the system then

[Guest wanted]

That's got to take a prize for "most willfully obtuse" post for today!

Congrats, have a brownie

I thought it was quite poetic

[soldthehouse]

Strictly speaking, this is wrong, because;

 

1) Ultimately, water will flow down to a point where it is lost to the system

2) Your theory assumes that repositioned water is the same before and after its repositioning, whilst it has actually changed its potential energy.

Trust you Trust you you argumentative sod!!!!!!! doesnt matter where it ends up someone will benefit like I said some boaters are selfish, there are other users of water on the planet you know !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I can't agree with that - the water will eventually end up in the sea - its lost to the system then

I didnt say the canals had universal use of water that was the whole point, another narrowminded self interested post post

 

That's got to take a prize for "most willfully obtuse" post for today!

Congrats, have a brownie

Thankyou

 

I thought it was quite poetic

You have by definition a broad mind Rob

Edited March 1, 2012 by soldthehouse

[KevMc]

I didnt say the canals had universal use of water that was the whole point, another narrowminded self interested post post

 

But surely the impact of the water loss to the canal network massively outweighs any impact on the vast oceans that the water ends up in if it reaches the sea

[WJM]

It was a couple of years ago now but I recall coming through Camden (Hampstead Road) Locks when a BW man arrived and went to the lock that I was not using and opened the paddles at both ends. I have seen this done at other locations a few times since, but I was curious on this occasion and I asked him what he was doing. The answer was obvious really, he was letting water down into the lower pounds because the water levels were low. All the Regents Canal locks EXCEPT Hampstead Road have had one lock converted to an overflow weir so any water let down from Hampstead Road will, in time, flow all the way down to Limehouse, thus topping up any low pounds on the way. Therefore, it would seem that Hampstead Road Locks are the feed control system for the Regents, while the massive twenty mile pound above is the reservoir.

[mrsmelly]

Seems standards have gone to hell in a basket, thankfully up north civilisation still abounds

 

Yep there always was and always will be a North/ South divide. The elsan points etc down South are usualy filthy and in crap order. The elsan points etc oop ere are generaly immaculate and cleaned every day.

[14skipper]

These locks need to be locked and paddles locked down at night,every night all year..because there is a lot of abuse regarding those locks....I travel across camden at night as I have total freedom and control with out idiots getting in my way or distracting me.....I find it frightening to see such a criminal waste of water..

 

I dont believe this is a one off...

 

 

Sheriff

 

So on these night time forays of yours l guess that when a locks against you that you sit and wait for a boat traveling in the opposite direction rather than emptying the lock ?

Because quote .I find it frightening to see such a criminal waste of water..

 

14skipper

Edited March 1, 2012 by 14skipper

[alan_fincher]

Yep there always was and always will be a North/ South divide. The elsan points etc down South are usualy filthy and in crap order. The elsan points etc oop ere are generaly immaculate and cleaned every day.

Those immaculate "Elsan points" you think you have discovered in the North are not actually that at all, I'm afraid.

 

You will find they are the outside toilets that some of the more modern housing there is now being fitted with!

[jenlyn]

So on these night time forays of yours l guess that when a locks against you that you sit and wait for a boat traveling in the opposite direction rather than emptying the lock ?

Because quote .I find it frightening to see such a criminal waste of water..

 

14skipper

Forays?? Another name for cc'er?

[14skipper]

Forays?? Another name for cc'er?

 

Nah that would be 4 Fs make up your own mind for them

 

14skipper

[mrsmelly]

Those immaculate "Elsan points" you think you have discovered in the North are not actually that at all, I'm afraid.

 

You will find they are the outside toilets that some of the more modern housing there is now being fitted with!

 

TOILETS !! We dont want any of that modern " crap " oop ere................

[Barry]

 

I didnt say the canals had universal use of water that was the whole point, another narrowminded self interested post post

 

 

Is that what you think?

 

Then go boil your head!