Red boards for months?

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snapper

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I read somewhere that even without any more rain, its going to take months for all the water to disappear.

Could this mean that flows stay high even into the spring? Red boards into the summer perhaps?

This maybe nonsense but was just wondering...
 
In a few weeks everything will be back to normal and we will wonder what the fuss was all about. I have seen my flood plain drain of in a matter of 2-3 days before now. After the January Floods I drained down in about 3 days before the February floods took me back up again.
 
Byron's right but what will take longer is for the saturation levels of the ground to get back to normal. This does mean in the short term that prolonged heavy rain will produce flooding quicker than it normally would but as we're going to have a summer-long heatwave from 1 April it won't really matter :)
 
Wavey said:
Byron's right but what will take longer is for the saturation levels of the ground to get back to normal. This does mean in the short term that prolonged heavy rain will produce flooding quicker than it normally would but as we're going to have a summer-long heatwave from 1 April it won't really matter :)
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That's right. Over 6 months with daily temp in the high 20's or above and hose pipe bans. :D
 
Once the trees start sucking up water in the Spring that will help reduce ground saturation. What is it a large tree drinks a day 50 gallons, more?
 
Wavey said:
Byron's right but what will take longer is for the saturation levels of the ground to get back to normal. This does mean in the short term that prolonged heavy rain will produce flooding quicker than it normally would but as we're going to have a summer-long heatwave from 1 April it won't really matter :)
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right date
 
ianc1200 said:
But is it worth holding off paying licence fees until the red boards go & Whitchurch Bridge opens?
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[shades of --- mode on]
Why?
"licence" doesn't actually entitle you to do anything, but float somewhere on t'River.
[Shades of --- Off]

(I assume your comment was a bit tongue-in-cheek mode, but you never know on this forum....)

Anyway poor old EA could do with as much dosh as they can.
 
It would be a wonderful gesture if the EA reduced the licence fee this year, based on the 8 to 9 months we might have of no stream warnings. I know I'm paying for the right to float, but it doesn't count for much at the moment.
 
Actionmat said:
It would be a wonderful gesture if the EA reduced the licence fee this year, based on the 8 to 9 months we might have of no stream warnings. I know I'm paying for the right to float, but it doesn't count for much at the moment.
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At a time when Call Me Dave has slashed their budget, told them to drastically increase revenue from elsewhere and they have a major crisis to deal with; you're expecting a reduction in licence fee?

Also, what's wrong with wetland areas. Presumably better than badly designed houses in the flood plain.
 
On the trains, you pay for a ticket & if there's no/late service, you get compensation. Perhaps we should campaign for a similar application of the licence fees. Nothing wrong with wetlands for birds, as long as it's way down the spending list compared with flood defences, dredging etc.
 
st599 said:
At a time when Call Me Dave has slashed their budget, told them to drastically increase revenue from elsewhere ..........
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Not true to say that the EA have been told to drastically increase revenue from elsewhere. They have simply been told that they cannot have as much money as previously from the public purse and left to deal with the resulting problems of managing the river with reduced income overall. Like all government departments, the EA is constrained by Treasury rules that lay down what they can do to raise income and just abut the only thing they could do to raise significant additional income would be to drastically increase licence fees and other charges they currently levy such as lock side moorings, pump outs, camping, accommodations etc.
The situation is actually worse than that because we have been left in no doubt that any significant extra income that could be achieved might lead to still greater reductions in grant in aid which would negate the extra income!

Frankly, the situation is an absolute mess and I sincerely hope that the furore over flooding might make them (government) wake up to the wider issue of the funding of the non tidal river.

Any expectation of reduced or discounted licence fees is the stuff of dreams. There was significant resistance in some quarters to the notion of the EA navigation being transferred to the C&RT but they are now free to raise additional income which the EA are not. They have just launched a national flood appeal, something which the EA just is not permitted to do:
http://support.canalrivertrust.org....lved/appeal/national-canal-flood-appeal/home/

For several years I have been trying to raise awareness of the problems of funding for the river, particularly navigation, but no-one has wanted to listen. The current funding for navigation comes from only two major sources - power boat licence fees and Government grant in aid. Flood Management, although within the EA, is budgeted separately so any additional funds directed to that will have little or no impact on the navigation. True, dredging might help us but resident lock keepers and assisted passage through locks are the two issues that specifically affect boaters and neither are likely to get additional benefit from any new flood control measures unless lock keepers can be shown to be an essential part of flood management and relief - and I don't mean just as social workers!

So, rather than expecting any refunds, how about considering that we may well be expected to pay more ........ it's ok, the soap is already in my mouth! :D
 
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Tony don't let the facts ruin some good rants:)

But is it true to say that the Navigation division and Lockkeepers have nothing to do with flood management? weir control is not flood management it is navigation management, they cannot prevent or control a flood.
Flood relief channels, water course maintenance, flood defences etc... that is flood management. Various organisations need to wake up and realise there is a difference.
 
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Chris_d said:
But is it true to say that the Navigation division and Lockkeepers have nothing to do with flood management? weir control is not flood management it is navigation management, they cannot prevent or control a flood.
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They do provide some assistance with flood control - even when weirs are fully open blockages can be caused by trees etc - and I believe FCRM make some cross contribution in recognition of this. However, the EA claimed to have carried out a study in 2012 (which itself was a bad year) which showed that only about 15% of lock and weir keeping staff time was actually spent on flood control activities - and that mainly in the winter months.
 
Why an increase from boaters? It's been going up well above inflation anyway, so how much is enough? Why pay more for less? More homes were affected than boats so why doesn't the EA look to them for cash rather than us?
 
Actionmat said:
Why an increase from boaters? It's been going up well above inflation anyway, so how much is enough? Why pay more for less? More homes were affected than boats so why doesn't the EA look to them for cash rather than us?
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The problem is that boaters are not paying for flood mangement, we could pay more or less and it wouldn't make any difference to the flood situation.
 
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