Filling a new marina with water.

[Southern Star]

One of my children asked me a question about Brinklow Marina, where we moor when we are not out cruising. He said "Dad, when they built this marina, how did they fill it with water? Did they do it slowly, or all at once?"

 

So I said "Well, that's a good question, and the answer is that I don't know. Perhaps, because it's 7 or 8 miles to the nearest lock in each direction, they could do it fairly quickly without the canal water level changing noticeably. Perhaps they did it over the Winter when there was heavy rainfall and CRT could divert a lot of water onto the canal. Or perhaps it took several months. I'll ask on CWDF".

 

So, what would be the procedure for filling a new marina with water?

[Mike Tee]

first step is to make sure the plug is in....................

[tree monkey]

One of my children asked me a question about Brinklow Marina, where we moor when we are not out cruising. He said "Dad, when they built this marina, how did they fill it with water? Did they do it slowly, or all at once?"

 

So I said "Well, that's a good question, and the answer is that I don't know. Perhaps, because it's 7 or 8 miles to the nearest lock in each direction, they could do it fairly quickly without the canal water level changing noticeably. Perhaps they did it over the Winter when there was heavy rainfall and CRT could divert a lot of water onto the canal. Or perhaps it took several months. I'll ask on CWDF".

 

So, what would be the procedure for filling a new marina with water?

As a wild arse guess, using a pump calibrated to allow CRT to keep the pound up to a normal level

[Southern Star]

As a wild arse guess, using a pump calibrated to allow CRT to keep the pound up to a normal level

I was imagining (again, just a wild arse guess) that the entry to the marina would be dammed and water would be introduced by breaching this dam, either slowly or quickly, rather than by pumping?

[Peter X]

I don't know either, but I'd speculate that it would involve CRT planning to let water down the canal, because even on a long pound the volume of water needed to fill a marina would make a significant difference to the water level. A decent sized marina might have 10% of the surface area of water that your 15 mile pound has, so if you fill that to an average depth of four feet, the pound goes down 4.8". If CRT were struggling with a water shortage at the time, I suppose the marina would be told to wait, otherwise they'd have someone at the right lock(s) opening paddles to pass the water along. A slow but efficient method might be to have the top stop plank at the marina entrance a little below the usual pound level, certainly below the by-wash overflow level at the next lock down, and then just wait for boat movements and gravity to do the job.

[tree monkey]

I was imagining (again, just a wild arse guess) that the entry to the marina would be dammed and water would be introduced by breaching this dam, either slowly or quickly, rather than by pumping?

I suggested pumps because it's so easily controlled as per Peters post above, having seen stop planks installed and removed there not much control

[OldGoat]

I have it on unimpeachable authority that when it rains BW ( well it was in those days), waits until it rains hard then ring up and say (something like),

"quick raise the top plank 1/2", then ring again later when it stops raining "drop the plank back"....

[andy3196]

I don't know how typical it was, but http://www.hollinwoodcanal.co.uk/gallery/droylsden02.htmshows a chunk of the bund between the canal and the hole being dug out, and says that filling would take a couple of weeks.

 

I'm sure Adrian will have some photos of Brinklow being filled.

[Robbo]

Remove the top planks at the entrance to the allowable lowest level of the canal and wait.

[b0atman]

A man and a bucket.

[Guest]

One of my children asked me a question about Brinklow Marina, where we moor when we are not out cruising. He said "Dad, when they built this marina, how did they fill it with water? Did they do it slowly, or all at once?"

 

So I said "Well, that's a good question, and the answer is that I don't know. Perhaps, because it's 7 or 8 miles to the nearest lock in each direction, they could do it fairly quickly without the canal water level changing noticeably. Perhaps they did it over the Winter when there was heavy rainfall and CRT could divert a lot of water onto the canal. Or perhaps it took several months. I'll ask on CWDF".

 

So, what would be the procedure for filling a new marina with water?

I asked the same question of Robert the manager when we used to moor at Mercia as I too was curious. Mercia is a huge marina and I imagined all the boats on the Trent and Mersey on the bottom while they filled it! The marina was in part a lake before it existed but it still needed a lot of water after construction.

 

The answer was 'slowly' and planned in conjunction with the then British Waterways who ensured the levels on the T&M were maintained whilst water was fed in over a number of days (I can't recall how long now).

 

He had some excellent photos of the process that were once on their web site but I don't think they are there any more.

[john6767]

I did a google for this, and found this on youtube

 

[David Mack]

CRT require that marina basins are leak tested before they allow the final connection to be made. I think they therefore require two sets of stop planks to be provided so that during the test the space between is kept at a lower level, so that any leakage of the marina basin can be observed.

 

The water is usually introduced over a period of time, as local water supplies allow. I believe CRT also charge for the water used for first filling, so the marina has the option of obtaining water from elsewhere if they can get it.

[dor]

CRT require that marina basins are leak tested before they allow the final connection to be made. I think they therefore require two sets of stop planks to be provided so that during the test the space between is kept at a lower level, so that any leakage of the marina basin can be observed.

 

The water is usually introduced over a period of time, as local water supplies allow. I believe CRT also charge for the water used for first filling, so the marina has the option of obtaining water from elsewhere if they can get it.

 

I don't think they need a double barrier, but after the marina is filled ( by lifting the top plank) it is then resealed and has to maintain the same level.

[David Mack]

 

I don't think they need a double barrier, but after the marina is filled ( by lifting the top plank) it is then resealed and has to maintain the same level.

But how do you know if the planks are fully sealed?

[BEngo]

I don't think they need a double barrier, but after the marina is filled ( by lifting the top plank) it is then resealed and has to maintain the same level.

We filled Circus Field a couple of years back. A double barrier with a watertight gap between is an essential requirement of the marina design, which has to be approved by CRT before work can start, as is a stillage test.

 

The procedure was that the two sets of stop planks were fitted and the gap between them was emptied by pump to clear the rain water that had got into the concrete base. The outside set were ashed until there were no leaks and the stop log (space between the two sets of planks) was pumped out again. Water was then syphoned into the basin across the bank, using between 2 and 6 4inch tubes and occasionally a 4 in pump. The inside set of planks were ashed as needed and the stop log kept pumped out until the planks (both sets) took up and were holding the water. The rate of flow was regulated by CRT to the amount of water available without affecting the levels locally by more than 4in. We had to slow down and stop several times.

 

Once the basin was full, the water level was noted and the syphons removed. The water level is then not allowed to fall more than a set distance (I think 50 mm) in a fortnight, compensating for evaporation.

 

Once CRT are happy that the marina is watertight they will permit you to remove all the stop planks.

 

They did not charge specifically for the water, but will charge an NAA fee every year, after the first two years.

 

N

[KarlosMacronius]

leave a tap on and go on holiday. My rebellious side has always fancied the idea of having a marina with a slightly higher water level than the canal and a lock to get in/out of it in an attempt to avoid paying CRT the NAA fee. But I'm not sure how long it would take for the cost of filling to be outweighed by the savings on NAA fees....probably a very long time.

[David Mack]

leave a tap on and go on holiday. My rebellious side has always fancied the idea of having a marina with a slightly higher water level than the canal and a lock to get in/out of it in an attempt to avoid paying CRT the NAA fee. But I'm not sure how long it would take for the cost of filling to be outweighed by the savings on NAA fees....probably a very long time.

 

How would that save the NAA cost? CRT will require you to enter a NAA to connect your marina to their canal, regardless of the configuration of the marina.

[dor]

We filled Circus Field a couple of years back. A double barrier with a watertight gap between is an essential requirement of the marina design, which has to be approved by CRT before work can start, as is a stillage test.

 

The procedure was that the two sets of stop planks were fitted and the gap between them was emptied by pump to clear the rain water that had got into the concrete base. The outside set were ashed until there were no leaks and the stop log (space between the two sets of planks) was pumped out again. Water was then syphoned into the basin across the bank, using between 2 and 6 4inch tubes and occasionally a 4 in pump. The inside set of planks were ashed as needed and the stop log kept pumped out until the planks (both sets) took up and were holding the water. The rate of flow was regulated by CRT to the amount of water available without affecting the levels locally by more than 4in. We had to slow down and stop several times.

 

Once the basin was full, the water level was noted and the syphons removed. The water level is then not allowed to fall more than a set distance (I think 50 mm) in a fortnight, compensating for evaporation.

 

Once CRT are happy that the marina is watertight they will permit you to remove all the stop planks.

 

They did not charge specifically for the water, but will charge an NAA fee every year, after the first two years.

 

N

 

Fairy nuff.

 

However I did watch over a new marina a few years ago where there was only one barrier between the new marina and the canal. BW (as it was then) oversaw the whole business and it was up to them to decide the marina wasn't drawing water.

 

I also witnessed a marina that leaked into an unmapped culvert that run under the marina. It dropped a five mile pound in less than a day. That also was stopped off by the single marina entrance stop planks until BW were satisfied that the marina was no longer leaking.

 

I guess that C&RT are a bit more particular these days.