Salters Lode

[by'eck]

ANOTHER UPDATE:

 

New gates are in but setback due to them leaking. Paul thinks closer to a Easter now before opening. Might still be before scheduled 27th March but could even overrun. Will know better next week.

[MoominPapa]

Hmm. Last time they replaced a gate at SL, it over-ran by months......

 

 

MP.

[Scholar Gypsy]

In the meantime, let us hope that the Ely Ouse does not breach ... Photos here.

 

Denver are putting the water levels back to normal today, I am told.

Edited March 10, 2015 by Scholar Gypsy

[pearley]

Hmm. Last time they replaced a gate at SL, it over-ran by months......MP.

I know we were stuck waiting for them, and even when they said OK they still didn't work.

[FadeToScarlet]

Still trapped out here in the Fens...l'd better start learning the banjo....

[MoominPapa]

Still trapped out here in the Fens...l'd better start learning the banjo....

Fancy a duel?

 

MP.

Edited March 10, 2015 by MoominPapa

[PaulJ]

Thanks for that update by'eck. I am (optimistically) hoping to go through at the end of March too.

Any one know how the dredging work is going at Marmot Priory ?

Edited March 10, 2015 by PaulJ

[Phil Ambrose]

In the meantime, let us hope that the Ely Ouse does not breach ... Photos here.

 

Denver are putting the water levels back to normal today, I am told.

Looking forward to that, boat sitting on the bottom at the moment, many boats in the marina listing, some quite badly, I think the level has come up a bit tonight as it has become easier to walk down the boat (or we have just got used to the list)

Phil

[Scholar Gypsy]

Looking forward to that, boat sitting on the bottom at the moment, many boats in the marina listing, some quite badly, I think the level has come up a bit tonight as it has become easier to walk down the boat (or we have just got used to the list)

Phil

 

Good luck!

 

Is the gauge at Isleham above or below the lock? It doesn't appear to have moved at all over the last 48 hours.... Maybe it is stuck.

[Phil Ambrose]

 

Good luck!

 

Is the gauge at Isleham above or below the lock? It doesn't appear to have moved at all over the last 48 hours.... Maybe it is stuck.

Telemetry station is above the weir ( of course ) and EA have been saying for the past 3 years that they might put a low level gauge in downstream, I'm not holding my breath.

Phil

[Phil Ambrose]

Still sitting on the bottom and someone has posted EA data for depth on FB, laughable as it shows plenty of water but it would as telemetry station gives a false impression due to being upstream of the weir which artificially holds the level up, downstream of the weir is a different matter.

The breach extends some 200m to 300m, bank slippage either side of flood bank.

Norfolk council have introduced road closures because the river on this stretch in common with many Fenland rivers is in fact above the level of the surrounding land.

Weird when out and about to look up to see the river above you, land drained shrinks but river remains as it was.

There is a church not far from us that used to have steps down to a basement but now has steps up!

Phil

[Scholar Gypsy]

Thanks Phil

 

I spoke to Denver yesterday who said their aim was to hold the Ely level about 10cm lower than normal for this time of year, towards the bottom of the "typical" range at Ely. They were confident I would not be stuck on the mud.

 

The EA gauge website only goes back 2 days, but a longer period of data can be seen on gaugemap (which also allows you to follow a given station on Twitter). That site shows that on 8th March the level at Ely varied between say 0.58m and 0.48m on 12 hour cycle. (This is I think the default setting in normal river flow conditions, with water flowing out through Denver Sluice around low tide and the river filling up when the V-doors close outside that time).

 

After a low point of 0.36m on the 9th, the level is now back to about 0.42cm, and much closer to a flatline. I think this must mean that the EA are managing the level much more actively, so when Denver sluice shuts they are opening one of the other sluices, eg to put water into the relief channel.

 

I guess there's not much water coming down the Lark, so that's why it taking a while to fill up again for you at Isleham? (And, unlike on a canal, you can't run water through the lock yourself ...) The gauges further upstream are also flat.

 

It is frustrating that there is no gauge on the website for Denver, but I guess the EA staff just look out of the window...

[Phil Ambrose]

Thanks for the info about gaugemap, must have a look. You are right about Ely, Denver do use that telemetry station as their base though when you think about it .5m is not a lot of water. They told me recently that they will return to summer levels on 1st of April. I'm guessing that might be deferred untill the diggers have finished reinstating the bank.

Phil

[Scholar Gypsy]

0.5m along the whole of the Ely level is let us say 60 km x 30m average width x 0.5 m, so 900,000 cubic metres. So that's a flow rate of say 5 cumecs (cubic metres a second) for 48 hours. I am guessing a bit here - need to look for some flow gauges data now! - but that feels a sensible number.

 

The Middle level main drain pumps at full blast can do 100 cumecs, Teddington weir in January 2014 was about 250 I seem to recall.

[Phil Ambrose]

Simon your figures are interesting, I still haven't got used to the lack of flow on our rivers, not much push on any of them. Having come from the Broads I'm more used to tidal flows and speeds of 5knt or 6knt, journeys being planned taking into consideration tides etc. I like it as it is far more leisurely and mooring up is reasonably stress free.

Phil

[Scholar Gypsy]

Simon your figures are interesting, I still haven't got used to the lack of flow on our rivers, not much push on any of them. Having come from the Broads I'm more used to tidal flows and speeds of 5knt or 6knt, journeys being planned taking into consideration tides etc. I like it as it is far more leisurely and mooring up is reasonably stress free.

Phil

 

 

I was making the numbers up of course. But since then I have found again this website which tells me the mean daily flow at Isleham was 1.8 cumecs in 1986, and 95% of the time it is more than 0.5 cumecs. Jesus lock in Cambridge is 2 cumecs (or was in 1983), and Denver is about 15 (but NB the site says: "Complexity of the structure and its management is reflected in the homogeneity of the flow series - which has extensive periods with no data or zero flows. Data should be used with great caution").

 

So my numbers looked OK within a factor of 2, or 4, or so - not bad ?

[Andrewandlisa]

I spoke to the lock keeper at Denver sluice last week and he told me the new gates at salters lode were not the right size, so it could be delayed until mid April

[Athy]

I spoke to the lock keeper at Denver sluice last week and he told me the new gates at salters lode were not the right size, so it could be delayed until mid April

Heads will, or should, roll. Are they made (the gates, not the heads) at the Middle Levels yard in March, or are they sub-contracted to CART?

[Andrewandlisa]

He told me they had made the gates but they were too big. They were taking chainsaws to it last time he visited. I don't know who has the contract. It may be that they can sort it faster, the lock keeper seemed to think they were struggling and said it could be mid April.

[Andrewandlisa]

Update, I spoke to salters lode lock keeper this morning and they have people there today trying to remedy the situation with the gates. He said to call back later in the week when he hopefully has more information. I will keep you posted.

[by'eck]

Update, I spoke to salters lode lock keeper this morning and they have people there today trying to remedy the situation with the gates. He said to call back later in the week when he hopefully has more information. I will keep you posted.

 

Thanks A&L - Paul suggested I phoned today so you have saved me the job - fingers crossed for a swift outcome.

[by'eck]

A sunny morning gave me an excuse (as if I needed one) to take the bike up to Downham Market. Met Paul the lockie who confirmed new gates are in but still leaking. As can be seen one doesn't quite open fully either. Good news is they have been declared serviceable so dam will be removed on Wednesday together with some final work.

 

 

They have even managed a bit of fresh landscaping and tidy up of moorings.

 

 

Paul expects first lock through this Friday morning around 1030. After that tides are unfavourable until the following Tuesday 31st.

 

 

 

 

[sirweste]

Had not seen this no, but Mick from Slowome told me at the weekend that he's spoken to Paul and it were to open this week.

I took a ride down on friday and took a picture of the entrance (Denver side) at low tide to get an idea of the mud/.silt bank thats grown. I'll put it up later.

[MoominPapa]

A sunny morning gave me an excuse (as if I needed one) to take the bike up to Downham Market. Met Paul the lockie who confirmed new gates are in but still leaking. As can be seen one doesn't quite open fully either. Good news is they have been declared serviceable so dam will be removed on Wednesday together with some final work.

 

 

 

They might not work properly now, but at least they no longer have the pain-in-the-bum swan-neck mangling walkways.

 

 

MP.

Edited March 24, 2015 by MoominPapa

[by'eck]

Had not seen this no, but Mick from Slowome told me at the weekend that he's spoken to Paul and it were to open this week.

I took a ride down on friday and took a picture of the entrance (Denver side) at low tide to get an idea of the mud/.silt bank thats grown. I'll put it up later.

 

Paul mentioned that he's hoping to blast some of that mudbank away by opening up the gates, before the re-opening.

 

This is what it looked like late last year.