River Stort

[David Mack]

Just received this closure notice:

 

Notice Alert

River Stort
Starts At: Lock 2, Twyford Lock
Ends At: Lock 1, South Mill Lock

Monday 30 July 2018 10:00 until further notice

Type: Navigation Closure
Reason: Water resources

---

Original message:

Dear Customers,

Due to the weather condition and rainfall, the River Stort navigation will be closed between Twyford Lock 2(SR-020-003) to South Mill Lock 1(SR-021-002) until further notice. The Trust is currently working with the Environment agency & other 3rd Party agencies.

Aerators have been installed to raise the oxygen level and aid distressed fishes. Customers are advised to make use of alternate route and the navigation will re-open as soon as clearance works are completed.

You can view this notice and its map online here:
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notice/13607/between-twyford-lock-2-sr-020-003-to-south-mill-lock-1sr-021-002

You can find all notices at the url below:
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notices

 

 

Having just come off the Stort I can understand the problem - there is barely any water going over the weirs, and locals were saying that some reaches had gone down overnight with boats resting at drunken angles on the bottom. I also saw quite a few dead fish, so I can imagine they  may be distressed.

 

But if I was still at the head of the river above Lock 1, I am curious as to what alternate route I am supposed to use!

 

[Dave123]

Did they not get the rain over the weekend? Thought it was meant to be heaviest in the East?

[bizzard]

16 minutes ago, Dave123 said:

Did they not get the rain over the weekend? Thought it was meant to be heaviest in the East?

We did, Storms Friday evening I think it was, the first rain for two months.  Two big torrential downpours  early this morning, didn't lasr long though.

[Tim Lewis]

https://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/news/hertfordshire-news/more-1000-fish-die-river-1841172

 

 

[Sea Dog]

3 hours ago, David Mack said:

I also saw quite a few dead fish, so I can imagine they  may be distressed.

 

Even for a fish, dead is probably a step beyond distressed.

 

Sorry David, couldn't resist - thanks for posting though.

 

 

[bizzard]

Cart and EA at Southmill lock now, aerators going and EA taking water samples.

[David Mack]

2 hours ago, Dave123 said:

Did they not get the rain over the weekend? Thought it was meant to be heaviest in the East?

Saturday on the Stort was warm, sunny and dry, although not as hot as earlier in the week. Sunday morning we woke to rain and the forecast was for it to continue until mid afternoon. But in the event it dried up by about 11.00 and we had a pleasant day's boating with only a few minor drizzles into the early evening.

[Old Son]

Is this all open now? I'm planning on visiting Bishops Stortford on Wednesday.

 

Cant see any mention on the Stoppages site.

[bizzard]

1 hour ago, Old Son said:

Is this all open now? I'm planning on visiting Bishops Stortford on Wednesday.

 

Cant see any mention on the Stoppages site.

It was openend late on last Friday afternoon as a boat went up. Whether its still open, I'm not certain.

I won't be checking until the morning. I will report back then.

Edited August 5, 2018 by bizzard

[Old Son]

Hi Bizzard, did you get the chance to check if the locks into Bishops Stortford were open yesterday?

[bizzard]

3 hours ago, Old Son said:

Hi Bizzard, did you get the chance to check if the locks into Bishops Stortford were open yesterday?

Busy yesterday, but a boat from here went up to pump the toilet out, so lock 1 Southmill is open. Not sure about lock 2 Twyford, but I don't see why its not open, I doubt they;d not open both.

[Tim Lewis]

River Lee has just been shut for 72 hours Hertford to Stanstead Abbotts :-(

[Old Son]

8 hours ago, bizzard said:

Busy yesterday, but a boat from here went up to pump the toilet out, so lock 1 Southmill is open. Not sure about lock 2 Twyford, but I don't see why its not open, I doubt they;d not open both.

Thank you.

[Dave123]

Also overnight closures until further notice for Hanwell flight and the top of Regents and Hertford union canals

[Jonkx]

Does anyone have any information about the present closure (as of 27/05/2019 - lock 1 presently chained closed with low water levels above that). Can't seem to find it under stoppages on crt website. Any ideas when it will reopen? 

[Jonkx]

Just contacted the crt re the above, they said it was a temporary stoppage applied by the local team over the recent Bank Holiday weekend, and had now been lifted and the canal was now open. As it was short term, it didn't make it into the online notices. 

[bizzard]

Trouble is lock 1 holds much less water than lock 2, so every boat that goes up past both and down again keeps lowereing both pounds progressively. Most of us here were canted over, very uncomfortable.  Please don't go up there if you don't need to, we are only just fully afloat at the moment. I believe the pump out machine is out of order again anyway.

Two boats were stranded up here from last Sunday but have now gone down this morning. This could happen to you if they suddenly chain up the locks.

Edited May 30, 2019 by bizzard

[Jonkx]

3 hours ago, bizzard said:

Trouble is lock 1 holds much less water than lock 2, so every boat that goes up past both and down again keeps lowereing both pounds progressively. Most of us here were canted over, very uncomfortable.  Please don't go up there if you don't need to, we are only just fully afloat at the moment. I believe the pump out machine is out of order again anyway.

Two boats were stranded up here from last Sunday but have now gone down this morning. This could happen to you if they suddenly chain up the locks.

Hi Bizzard, thanks, sorry I didn't know that and that there was an issue. Already moored up above lock 2. Will be mindful, not alot I can do to help now, hopefully in the next week or so the situation will get better. 

 

Best wishes, 

Jon 

[bizzard]

12 minutes ago, Jonkx said:

Hi Bizzard, thanks, sorry I didn't know that and that there was an issue. Already moored up above lock 2. Will be mindful, not alot I can do to help now, hopefully in the next week or so the situation will get better. 

 

Best wishes, 

Jon 

Hello Jonkx.  Stortford is the end of navigation as you probably know, so each boat that goes up must come down and not just carry on. And when there's water shortages through lack of rain this can happen, but its quite rare really, the last time they chained up locks was in the mid 1990's. Weekends can be the worst in these conditions as boats tend to swarm out of Hallinbury Marina and come up here and then go down again. If you want to go up to town I'd go tomorrow early and perhaps come back on Saturday afternoon.   Regs Bizzard.

[Old Son]

"boats tend to swarm out of Hallinbury Marina"................... Most of the boats in Hallingbury Marina don't ever move! The water levels are low, we were in Stortford a month or so ago and levels were well down. It hasn't rained much since then. I continue to be amazed how much water must run off into the river though. Will the trip boat be running again this year? That'll drain the river for sure.

[bizzard]

I've since heard that there was a big leak somewhere down stream, not sure if it was a breach or more likely one of the many small level control overflow weirs that always look in very bad condition busted. Early on Wednesday morning the level suddenly recovered quite quickly which I judged by my clinometer, ''a soup ladle hanging on a hook on a bulkhead''. I expect that was the point of the repair completed of whatever it was. The level is still fairly low though through lack of rain.

Edited May 31, 2019 by bizzard