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Stoppage: Tring Summit - Lock 39 Startops Reservoir and Lock 46 - Cowroast

Waterway: Grand Union Canal »

From 11/01/2012 to 25/03/2012

UPDATE (28 February 2012): Following consultations with boating and trade representatives recently we have reviewed the existing restrictions in context of the water supply situation and have the following update.

1.The navigation between Lock 46 (Cowroast) and Lock 39 (Startops) will remain closed until Monday 26th March to give as much time as possible for reservoir levels to recover before the main boating season.

2.From Monday 26th March the navigation will be opened between 10.00am and 3.00pm only*.

The water levels across the Tring summit during this time will be kept at a lower operating level than normal to allow excessive seepage losses to be minimised.
Trials will be held over the next week but navigation within the centre of the channel should not present problems for normally draughted boats. Once ‘safe draught’ levels have been established we will update boaters with this information.

3. In the period up to March 26th there will be two specific opening periods to facilitate through traffic and local boat movement. These windows of opening will be :
- Friday 9th March – Sunday 11th March, and
- Friday 16th March – Sunday 18th March
In both cases opening will be 10.00am – 3.00pm daily*.

*BW reserves the right to open less than 5 hours within this window in order to maximise use of lockage water e.g. 10-11:30 and 1:30 – 3.00pm

4. With the agreement of the Aylesbury Canal Society the Aylesbury Arm, currently locked for essential boat traffic only to facilitate dredging works, will remain fully closed from Monday 5th March.
The Arm will be opened approximately one weekend per month to allow cruising by Aylesbury Arm moorers. Two dates already agreed with ACS are Friday 23rd – Sunday 25th March and Friday 20th – Sunday 22nd April (10.00am – 3.00pm opening each day).

We hope that boaters understand that these measures so early in the season are seeking to preserve low reservoir stocks such that cruising through the year can be maintained for as long as possible.

We will monitor the situation carefully and regularly and if further action is required we will again discuss with affected customers to define the way forward.

Many thanks for your support and cooperation.

UPDATE (10 January 2012): In response to customer requests for a longer window to exit the affected area, we have extended the period that the section between Cowroast Marina and Lock 39 will remain open for use.

As planned, planks will be installed at Cowroast Marina during the morning of Thursday 12 January. This means that by the end of Wednesday 11 January, boats must be on the correct side of the Cowroast planks or within the planked off area if applicable. At this time, we will stop feeding water to the Tring Summit from the reservoirs.

Between 9am and 12pm on Saturday 14 January, British Waterways staff will man locks to assist and marshal boats out of the section between the planks north of Cowroast Marina and Lock 39. All boats wishing to leave the area will have to move north and exit through Lock 39 by 12pm on Saturday, to avoid being grounded within the lowered section. At this time, Lock 39 will be locked. We would ask that any boats which are able to move out of the section before this date do so as soon as possible, to avoid undue congestion on Saturday.

Many thanks for your assistance.

Please click on 'Show History' within Waterscape to read other important information about this stoppage ----------------------------------------------------

Due to ongoing extremely dry conditions and to protect very low reservoir stocks - we will be lowering the operating levels of the Tring summit by 300mm from Wednesday 11th January 2012 (am).

Whilst the volume of water required for lock operations is low this time of year, a feed from the reservoir group and from groundwater sources has still been required to maintain the canal at the normal operational level. The current demand on reservoirs and groundwater sources will, if maintained, increase the risk of having depleted water resources during the 2012 main boating season.

The immediate affected area is between :- Lock 39, Startops Reservoir/Bluebells Café, and Lock 49, Northchurch (NB. there is a full stoppage already planned at Lock 49 from 23/01 to 03/02)

The above section will be CLOSED to through traffic and moored boats* from Wed 11th Jan(am) until further notice.

Reduced operating levels (300mm min) will not allow boats to safely moor or navigate the section. A short section at Cowroast will be contained at normal levels through the implementation of stop planks (between Lock 46 and New Ground Bridge, no. 136).

This will afford stability (although immobility for moorers at Cowroast long term site and the marina). The 2 locks (Lock 39 & 49) will be locked throughout, as others may be within the affected area to avoid losses through misuse.

Aylesbury Arm, will continue to be locked against navigation and open to essential traffic only. The operating levels of the Arm itself will be subject to further review and the aim of 'bulk' movement of essential boat traffic will be the aim to reduce lockage. Additional local arrangements will be in place with Bulbourne dry dock to facilitate a restricted occasional access.