Rochdale Summit Water Flow

[dmr]

Currently moored a lock below the Rochdale summit and trying to understand the water supply here.  The lock at the summit Eastern end looks to have no bywash but instead has an opening near the top of a bottom gate (with a baffle in front of it) to let a constant "waterfall" of water down to this pound (in fact likely the next few pounds). As far as I can see this can only work if a top paddle is left raised to keep the lock full, but there are no signs on the lock to request this. A couple of days ago a boat went up (it's not a busy waterway) and the flow stopped, I reckon because the boater closed the paddles. Since then the level in the pound has fallen almost a foot every 24 hours and the next one down has got seriously empty. I was going to let some water down but before I could CaRT turned up and raised a top paddle, put the handcuff on with the paddle raised, and left. The water level here quickly sorted itself out.

 

................Dave

 

 

[NickF]

Interesting .... I have only been there twice and both times the summit was brim full and the next couple of pounds on the East side very very low ... so much so that the visitor moorings were completely dry. I wonder if the water from the summit all goes west if that lock isn't kept full.

[Mac of Cygnet]

The pound where you are is notorious for emptying.  I once had to call out BW when I became well aground right in the middle, i.e. several metres from either bank.  There used to be a notice warning of this. Has it gone now?

[dmr]

Pound below summit has visitor moorings, a good spot, it must be deep as even though it was almost two foot down we were still floating. Next pound down does get very empty very quickly. Have not spotted any warnings, will look tomoro.

 

I can see that the arrangement makes it very easy to reduce Eastward flow when more of the limited summit water is needed towards Manchester, but this only really works if there is a resident lock keeper.

 

................Dave

[Mac of Cygnet]

11 minutes ago, dmr said:

Pound below summit has visitor moorings, a good spot, it must be deep as even though it was almost two foot down we were still floating.

 

................Dave

 

That's what I thought until I pushed out into the middle!  This was a good few years ago, though.

[rgreg]

Yes, we had to refill those pounds before we could pass last year, whilst on the west side the water was plentiful.