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Water resource investigations


The Water Management team in British Waterways are working to get a better understanding of the water resources that are available to keep the canal system open during drought conditions.

To do this they need to refine the information they already have about water flows into, out of and through the canal system. This will be achieved through planned ‘site trials’ at key locations.

Over the summer and into autumn you may well see these measurements taking place at various points on the canal network. Where possible work has been planned so as to have minimal impact on boaters and canal users.

Why wasn’t this work done over the winter?

It is important to assess water losses from key canal pounds and lock flights outside of the winter period. This is because groundwater levels are normally lower during the main boating season and so leakage rates are higher. We need to plan to meet peak canal demands for water, which tend to occur in the summer months, and so our investigations need to reflect these conditions.

Additionally, flows from field drains and ditches which enter the canal from adjacent land are much reduced during the summer period. This makes losses measurements more accurate.

Why do you need to do this?

We carefully manage our water resources to help us to maximise the reliability of the system during the boating season. Whilst it is relatively easy to locate a canal leak, it is more difficult to accurately measure each leak and compare it with others along a particular lock flight, canal pound or entire canal.

It is only when accurate information has been gathered in key locations that British Waterways can decide where its limited funds should be spent. Unfortunately we simply can’t afford to fix every leak and so have to prioritise investment across the network to get the best results for the least cost.

How will these works affect boaters?

We have tried to minimise the affect this will have on boaters by restricting navigation for the minimum possible time. Work has been scheduled to start early in the morning (often from 6am) but to work efficiently several sites must be measured in one day. Consequently, although most sites will be finished by 11am, some restrictions may be needed until 1pm. In other situations, stoppages will be overnight, using automatic monitoring equipment (so you may not see anyone actually working through the night) but key lock flights need to be closed to improve the accuracy of the trials.

Although you may not see anyone working at a particular lock which is closed for one of these trials, please understand that each time a lock is filled and/or emptied it creates a 'surge wave' of water that moves back and forth along the whole canal pound, even if it is many miles in length. This wave affects the accuracy of flow measurements being taken elsewhere on that canal pound.

Most investigations have been planned for Tuesdays, Wednesdays and/or Thursdays to avoid impacting boaters either side of the weekend.

Whilst we understand that these investigations are likely to cause inconvenience, we hope that our customers appreciate the longer term aim for the canal system to be more reliable. Our technical staff doing the site trials will be happy to explain more about their work if you meet them whilst on your cruise.

For more information on planned water resource investigations see www.waterscape.com/stoppages. Make sure you sign up to receive stoppage alerts from Waterscape to ensure you can plan your cruise with minimal disruption. All planned works will be posted on the relevant waterway page.

Last updated: 14/06/2010

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