Leak at Bollington

[keith.]

Due to the continued drawdown of the reservoirs because of prolonged low rainfall and with the forecast for further dry weather, the Trust is reluctantly implementing restrictions on the Macclesfield Canal from today, Monday 23 July. 

The Bosley Flight (locks 1 to 12) will be restricted to the period between 8am and 2pm. Whilst this will conserve water in the short term, we expect to temporarily close the canal at Bosley on Monday 13 August. The rest of the Macclesfield Canal (below Bosley) will remain unrestricted. 

It’s not clear how long the future closure will last for but it’s likely to be throughout August and potentially beyond if there are not significant and sustained periods of rainfall. While the closure will prevent through navigation of the canal by boats, the towpath will remain open for visitors and the local community to enjoy. 

Please note that the Marple Flight on the Peak Forest Canal is already closed due to further movement in the lock walls at Lock 11 and will remain closed until the walls can be re-built. Additionally, we are closing off access to Bugsworth Basin, commencing on Monday 13 August. 

 

 

[mayalld]

29 minutes ago, keith. said:

Due to the continued drawdown of the reservoirs because of prolonged low rainfall and with the forecast for further dry weather, the Trust is reluctantly implementing restrictions on the Macclesfield Canal from today, Monday 23 July. 

The Bosley Flight (locks 1 to 12) will be restricted to the period between 8am and 2pm. Whilst this will conserve water in the short term, we expect to temporarily close the canal at Bosley on Monday 13 August. The rest of the Macclesfield Canal (below Bosley) will remain unrestricted. 

It’s not clear how long the future closure will last for but it’s likely to be throughout August and potentially beyond if there are not significant and sustained periods of rainfall. While the closure will prevent through navigation of the canal by boats, the towpath will remain open for visitors and the local community to enjoy. 

Please note that the Marple Flight on the Peak Forest Canal is already closed due to further movement in the lock walls at Lock 11 and will remain closed until the walls can be re-built. Additionally, we are closing off access to Bugsworth Basin, commencing on Monday 13 August. 

 

 

Well, it's good to know that all those who don't pay CRT a grand every year will still be OK.

 

Have they ANY idea how much messages like that irritate.

 

Frankly, the shortages this year have been made far more severe by a failure to tackle the leakage through Bosley in good time, and a failure to address the leak at Bollington in good time.

 

I'm more than a little annoyed that they have effectively cancelled my holiday this year due to a gross failure to take action at the appropriate time to maintain the canal.

[MartinClark]

46 minutes ago, mayalld said:

Frankly, the shortages this year have been made far more severe by a failure to tackle the leakage through Bosley in good time, and a failure to address the leak at Bollington in good time. 

And a failure to deal with the problem with Lock 11 at Marple, which they knew about last year, at the same time as the work at Lock 15?

[Señor Chris]

Why is Bugsworth being shut?

 

[BruceinSanity]

33 minutes ago, Señor Chris said:

Why is Bugsworth being shut?

 

I would guess because it's a chronically leaky basin.

[b0atman]

Bugsworth is probably being shut to deter people coming up Bosley flight and to get rid of those on top pound .I have been in Whaley bridge 13 days and here in Bugsworth for 4 days up to now level is down but not by much especially when you take into account the breech loss and then refilling that section .There is a flat stone near me that is just under water so i shall monitor that until i move on thursday.

 

[captain birdseye]

I think it's time to head home whilst we can still get there

[Señor Chris]

18 minutes ago, BruceinSanity said:

I would guess because it's a chronically leaky basin.

Preventing boat access won't help much unless they seal it off as well.

 

15 minutes ago, captain birdseye said:

I think it's time to head home whilst we can still get there

Think I'll stick to rivers for now. Trent should be a doddle.

 

[b0atman]

Bugsworth basin as you enter there is a narrow bit for the stop planks . 

[nicknorman]

2 hours ago, mayalld said:

Well, it's good to know that all those who don't pay CRT a grand every year will still be OK.

 

Have they ANY idea how much messages like that irritate.

 

Frankly, the shortages this year have been made far more severe by a failure to tackle the leakage through Bosley in good time, and a failure to address the leak at Bollington in good time.

 

I'm more than a little annoyed that they have effectively cancelled my holiday this year due to a gross failure to take action at the appropriate time to maintain the canal.

Our holiday up to the NW has been one CRT disaster after another. I really get the impression NW region regards boaters as a pest. Certainly bottom priority. Who is the NW regional manager?

[billh]

11 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Our holiday up to the NW has been one CRT disaster after another. I really get the impression NW region regards boaters as a pest. Certainly bottom priority. Who is the NW regional manager?

That's the trouble, there isn't anyone able to manage. Most of the canal problems could be sorted by good management, their idea of managing is from a desk with a computer and phone  forty odd miles away , relying on a few  local staff giving them *correct* info about what is going on.

Think about us poor sods  moored  in the NW. It's almost impossible to plan any boating in advance likely to take more than a day. How the local hire firms get on I don't know, unless of course they get a substantial rebate on the licences.

Trouble is , visiting boaters from other parts of the network arrive to do whatever canal they want- Rochdale,Ashton , HNC etc,have difficulties with it and then vow never to return. Fault reports/complaints  don't get sent in because: "we're not going there again"

Will you be returning to the  NW  any time soon? ( I know you're still here for a while yet)

 

Bill

[b0atman]

Todays managers who do not leave their desks could utilise the worker who walks every bit of their area of responsibility in a fortnight i.e the enforcement officer or whatever they are now called .These blinkered people could & would do a far better job if they had to report back to a central point bypassing area managers the remit could cover monitoring lock leakage state of towpath and a myriad other things.Central point would then get a better feel for how the managers are managing.

Edited July 23, 2018 by b0atman

[nicknorman]

11 minutes ago, billh said:

That's the trouble, there isn't anyone able to manage. Most of the canal problems could be sorted by good management, their idea of managing is from a desk with a computer and phone  forty odd miles away , relying on a few  local staff giving them *correct* info about what is going on.

Think about us poor sods  moored  in the NW. It's almost impossible to plan any boating in advance likely to take more than a day. How the local hire firms get on I don't know, unless of course they get a substantial rebate on the licences.

Trouble is , visiting boaters from other parts of the network arrive to do whatever canal they want- Rochdale,Ashton , HNC etc,have difficulties with it and then vow never to return. Fault reports/complaints  don't get sent in because: "we're not going there again"

Will you be returning to the  NW  any time soon? ( I know you're still here for a while yet)

 

Bill

Well not in my present mood, no. But I do intend to voice my displeasure, hence the question about who is the manager now Chantelle has gone.

And it is such a shame, the HNC could be a fantastic canal but there is simply no provision for boats. Most of the lock landing are unusable, there is hardly anywhere to tie up. Paddles are incredibly stiff and haven’t seen oil or grease in years.

 

Apart from the tunnel of course, which is well managed like some Disneyland attraction.

[mayalld]

23 minutes ago, billh said:

That's the trouble, there isn't anyone able to manage. Most of the canal problems could be sorted by good management, their idea of managing is from a desk with a computer and phone  forty odd miles away , relying on a few  local staff giving them *correct* info about what is going on.

Think about us poor sods  moored  in the NW. It's almost impossible to plan any boating in advance likely to take more than a day. How the local hire firms get on I don't know, unless of course they get a substantial rebate on the licences.

 

I've been reading their T&Cs about stoppages, and no rebates.

 

However, that is all couched in terms of "events beyond their control"

 

I'm writing to them to point out that this is nothing to do with events beyond their control, and everything to do with mismanagement on a monumental scale.

 

They have run out of water, not because of dry weather, but because it has all drained away due to a failure to take appropriate remedial action when they should have taken it.

 

They have wasted the water that they had by not fixing the leaks in gates at Bosley, that have caused lots of extra water to be run down the flight, and by not effecting a permanent repair at Bollington, despite it having leaked for the past 2 years.

 

These were defects that they knew about last winter, and failed to fix. They were defects that they should reasonably have anticipated would cause a loss of water resources during the year.

 

They have also failed to manage the resources that they have. Had they tracked the resources properly, they would have seen the trend, and could have imposed restrictions earlier to enable them to keep it open.

 

I will be asking for money back!

 

[b0atman]

will people on the K&A be able to get money back because Bosley and Marple are closed meaning they cannot access all the system that their licence entitles them too ?