No water problems in the Midlands.

[Bobbybass]

Hi.

 

Made a point of watching BBC Midlands today..(I'm still in Spain but returning to boat in next few days )...as they were having an article about the waterways being affected by the drought.

 

They said that BW had informed them that all reservoirs were full and there were no problems. They also interviewed Kate boats who said..

"Lots of water...no problems".

 

Is that so...as I'm planning my cruising ?

 

Tah...

[Ally]

Well we still have stoppages in the Leicester area due to water levels being low, but the way the April 'showers' are coming down, I can see the Soar going into flood soon!!

[Magic Potion]

Plenty of water between Braunston and Knowle locks as of last week.

[Bimbly1]

Upper Bittell reservoir (Worcs & Brum) is at about half capacity.

 

Edited to remove smiley.

Edited April 18, 2012 by Bimbly1

[alan_fincher]

Plenty of water between Braunston and Knowle locks as of last week.

But the reservoirs feeding the summits in that area are of course seriously depleted, even if the levels in the canal itself are currently being maintained OK.

 

The real issue is not can you get through some of the affected canals now - it is (even with the lock restrictions) how long will you continue to be able to.....

[Giggetty]

Upper Bittell reservoir (Worcs & Brum) is at about half capacity.

 

Edited to remove smiley.

No restrictions likely while steady at that level. Bradley source pumping through Wolverhampton levelyesterday. Tardebigge weirs running so as to refill Diglis Basin (4" down at weekend. I really wouldn't worry yet. The TV programme was about the Avon, anyway.

[Donald Gilchrist]

Hasent stopped raining,hear in Shardlow,for about 15 hours. Trent up and rising,if it does not stop we mite get a flood,remember them?

[Midnight Rider]

My own feeling (& no I can't prove it) is that although we have had a dryish 12 months, BW are also using it as an excuse to get them out of poor dredging of reservoirs & canals & failing to repair leaking gates.

 

Same applies to the water companies --- stop the leakage & reduce the problem.

[alan_fincher]

My own feeling (& no I can't prove it) is that although we have had a dryish 12 months, BW are also using it as an excuse to get them out of poor dredging of reservoirs & canals & failing to repair leaking gates.

The meeting I went to about the South east situation showed a prediction of each of the major reservoir groups that feed the GU or the Oxford starting what they call "the season" with only about half the water there was at the same time last year. They really are very VERY low compared to usual for this time of year.

 

Additionally the problems at Tring summit are almost certainly far more to do with the lowered water table, due to drought, than any failure to fix gates at either end of it. It is leaking into surrounding land because much of it was built unlined, in the assumption that the water table would be higher than the canal. Recently that has not been the case, but it is a "how it was built" issue not a "lack of maintenance" issue, as I understand it.

 

Dredging reservoirs might increase their capacity if water were plentiful, but as many have sat half empty for well over a year, making them deeper would only have achieved something if it had been long before the current drought.

 

That's not to say water doesn't get wasted - despite the tight time restrictions at Stoke Bruene, for instance, water was cascading heavily over the bottom gates for a long while in the hours leading up to when we were allowed through them, (which was a tad frustrating!....)

[Smelly]

Upper Bittell reservoir (Worcs & Brum) is at about half capacity.

 

Edited to remove smiley.

 

The BCN has a lot of additional abstraction licences and they're filling Bittel atm... They've even opened up the old well at the M&B brewery.

 

ETA; with the industry that had previously been drawing from it gone, the water table around Brum has been rising to worrying levels; this is perceived as a significant water resource for the West Mids waterways and a lot of pumps are going in around, frinstance, Garrison to try and spread the wealth. There was talk of re-instating the pumps from the Tame at Salford Junction as well but I can't remember whether it has happened.

Edited April 18, 2012 by Smelly

[Midnight Rider]

The meeting I went to about the South east situation showed a prediction of each of the major reservoir groups that feed the GU or the Oxford starting what they call "the season" with only about half the water there was at the same time last year. They really are very VERY low compared to usual for this time of year.

 

Additionally the problems at Tring summit are almost certainly far more to do with the lowered water table, due to drought, than any failure to fix gates at either end of it. It is leaking into surrounding land because much of it was built unlined, in the assumption that the water table would be higher than the canal. Recently that has not been the case, but it is a "how it was built" issue not a "lack of maintenance" issue, as I understand it.

 

Dredging reservoirs might increase their capacity if water were plentiful, but as many have sat half empty for well over a year, making them deeper would only have achieved something if it had been long before the current drought.

 

That's not to say water doesn't get wasted - despite the tight time restrictions at Stoke Bruene, for instance, water was cascading heavily over the bottom gates for a long while in the hours leading up to when we were allowed through them, (which was a tad frustrating!....)

Quite so Alan, but you don't wait until the water table has lowered or the reservoirs are half full or leave the leaking gates & hope for the best.

 

A maintenance program should take into account that we could have these dry spells. These people are paid a lot of money to think a little ahead. Perhaps some of the ill fated BW investment over the last few years would have been better spent on maintenance.

[alan_fincher]

Quite so Alan, but you don't wait until the water table has lowered or the reservoirs are half full or leave the leaking gates & hope for the best.

How do you prepare for the possibility that the water table may go lower in drought conditions than the canal designers ever anticipated it would, though ?

[Midnight Rider]

How do you prepare for the possibility that the water table may go lower in drought conditions than the canal designers ever anticipated it would, though ?

Well, I'm no engineer but the problem must have come to light before -- 1976? --- so I presume that putting a lining in would be the answer.

[ditchcrawler]

My own feeling (& no I can't prove it) is that although we have had a dryish 12 months, BW are also using it as an excuse to get them out of poor dredging of reservoirs & canals & failing to repair leaking gates.

 

Same applies to the water companies --- stop the leakage & reduce the problem.

If you read the BW stoppage list you will see they are working on a lot of gates to stop leaks, shame they didn't do it a few years back

[alan_fincher]

Well, I'm no engineer but the problem must have come to light before -- 1976? --- so I presume that putting a lining in would be the answer.

I'm no engineer either, but as I understand it, most of the time you don't want it lined, because water draining into the canal, (because the canal is below the water table usually), is helping with the water supplies.

 

I have no idea what the cost of lining (what I guess could be) most of Tring summit would be, but suggest that "phenomenal" might just cover it. It would be one hell of a lengthy stoppage, wouldn't it!

[Midnight Rider]

If you read the BW stoppage list you will see they are working on a lot of gates to stop leaks, shame they didn't do it a few years back

That's exactly what I'm getting at. Repair the roof when the sun's shining not wait until it's piddling down ----- only the other way round as far as the waterways are concerned.

[DaveG]

I think it's far too early to get excited - the Met Office reported yesterday that March was the driest for 29 years so a few days rain isn't going to make a huge difference. Here in the East Midlands it has been heavy showers rather than persistent rain and, whilst the Nene is up a bit, rivers act as funnels and this is as much to do with the EA getting the water out to sea as quickly as possible. Dig down an inch or so and the ground is pretty compacted still which means the water runs off rather than being absorbed down to the water table.

[Ally]

Just had to run an errand to Shardlow...Trent and Soar in flood, flood gates closed.....damn this drought!

[RichardH]

Quote yesterday from BW

 

Reservoir Holdings

In terms of British Waterways reservoir stocks, the Oxford & Grand Union, GU South and GU North groups are of particular concern, being well below their long term average for this time of year. Although there was some modest refill over the past month due to the occasional rainfall (assisted by the implementation of Drought Schemes to pump additional water into some reservoirs), the overall water resource position for these parts of the network is of concern.

 

Restrictions to lock use

As stated in the March issue of Reservoir Watch, British Waterways took the unusual step of implementing overnight restrictions (mostly from Monday 19th March) to reduce lockage demand and ensure careful use of water at a number of sites on the Oxford and Grand Union Canals. Water levels on the Kennet & Avon Canal are also being closely monitored and similar restrictions could be implemented there subject to water availability.

 

British Waterways will be reviewing the effect these restrictions have had in reducing demand for water over the Easter period along with projections of the future water resource position for the next few months of the main boating season, and will reissue an updated map in due course, highlighting any changes to the restrictions if they are considered necessary.

 

 

Issued by:

Water Management team, British Waterways

18 April 2012

[sociable_hermit]

I'm no engineer either, but as I understand it, most of the time you don't want it lined, because water draining into the canal, (because the canal is below the water table usually), is helping with the water supplies.

 

I have no idea what the cost of lining (what I guess could be) most of Tring summit would be, but suggest that "phenomenal" might just cover it. It would be one hell of a lengthy stoppage, wouldn't it!

Depends if there are known weak spots, and whether WRG would be interested, I suppose.

 

It's not often you get to clay puddle a stretch like that any more, and if it's already near-dry, now's the time to do it surely?