Red Boards Forecast and Goring to Eynsham

[OldVicSheer]

Hello there

I've been planning a trip from Goring to Eynsham or thereabouts and back which was meant to begin today. Since that stretch of the river continues to have red boards, I am considering whether this will be possible in the near future.

As I am not near the river at the moment, I was wondering if anyone has seen the rate at which the river is flowing and whether it seems likely to go off red boards any time soon?

 

[Chris_d]

Currently flooding forecast up there and more rain in the next few days, levels won't be back to normal for at least a week or so.

 

[Outinthedinghy]

It went yellow below Cookham yesterday but there is rain around..

A good indicator, apart from the red or yellow boards obviously, is Sutton Courtenay flow gauge.

It has slowed down a lot over the last week.
A lot of shutting in on the weirs lately but there is rain around so not sure. I think there may be quite a few yellow boards very soon but will need to wait and see.



GaugeMap – Latest River, Flow and Groundwater Levels Map for Britain & Ireland

 

[Chris_d]

Yes its a difficult call, river is kind of slowly rising a bit here at Henley and fairly neutral upstream, but there's a bucket load of rain tonight and tomorrow so it will take a week to stabilise.

 

[Outinthedinghy]

Yes Marsh lock pulled a foot or two yesterday according to the level charts and it was going up after that so maybe more today. Gauges further up also indicating rising levels so you are correct. I wss thinking as the OP is above the Kennet and the Loddon it might be different but the whole River seems to be rising if only a tiny bit.

Its going to be a little while longer on reds.

 

[OldVicSheer]

Thanks everyone - that's really helpful. Looks like I'll have to delay for a while.

 

[Gavin E]

On the subject of red boards, does anyone know who decides when it's red or yellow? Is it up to the lock keepers to decide and update, or is it an automated system updated by our computer overlords?
I ask as we're sitting here above benson watching a bit of flow but nothing that looks too dramatic, and I'm thinking that red boards seem a little over cautious, and it set me off wondering who decides.....
I know - i'm being biased - and my judgement is probably clouded by a strong desire to shake off the mooring ropes and start using the gorgeous river we pay a small fortune to sit on.....

 

[Chris_d]

Boats are on the move, redboards don't mean you can't go out. But up to you to decide if you and the boat can handle the conditions

 

[Gavin E]

I know we can go out if we want to, and I'm pretty sure that if it was nice and sunny we'd be out right now. I was just wondering how the board system is monitored/decided... ?

 

[Chris_d]

I always understood it was by the number of sluices drawn at any particular weir, so for example if 7/10 of the sluices are drawn the flow is over a given rate and the lockie for that reach puts his red boards out. It will vary reach to reach.

 

[Big John]

I know we can go out if we want to, and I'm pretty sure that if it was nice and sunny we'd be out right now. I was just wondering how the board system is monitored/decided... ?

Check your insurance. You may find there is no cover if the EA but up Red Boards.

 

[Freeman30]

Who Cares about red boards?

We are seeing an increasing number of rowers and paddleboarders out here, in the Mapledurham/Caversham section. while still an redboards.

 

[Outinthedinghy]

I'm not certain but I think @Chris_d is right. The weir gate capacity is added up in feet and at a certain point the red boards go out.

I'm not a lock keeper and never have been but I think there may be something going on with a 50 percent rule. If the weirs are more than 50 percent drawn it is red boards.

It probably isn't that simple.


Don't quote me on this as I made it up but it does make sense. Difficult to judge this without knowing the weirs intimately.

 

[Outinthedinghy]

Who Cares about red boards?

We are seeing an increasing number of rowers and paddleboarders out here, in the Mapledurham/Caversham section. while still an redboards.

Have you got torpedoes for the paddle boarders? They arrr asking for trouble.

 

[Bran]

On the subject of red boards, does anyone know who decides when it's red or yellow? Is it up to the lock keepers to decide and update, or is it an automated system updated by our computer overlords?
I ask as we're sitting here above benson watching a bit of flow but nothing that looks too dramatic, and I'm thinking that red boards seem a little over cautious, and it set me off wondering who decides.....
I know - i'm being biased - and my judgement is probably clouded by a strong desire to shake off the mooring ropes and start using the gorgeous river we pay a small fortune to sit on.....

I have discussed how the red/yellow states are decided with some of the lockies. Chris_d and Outinthedinghy correctly replied, yellow and red boards are decided on the amount of tackle drawn, that is the number of weir gates opened. Each weir has a threshold that when a certain number of gates are opened it triggers a change to yellow and then when more gates are opened it triggers a red. Some weirs are grouped together so that if for example a particular weir goes to red then adjacent weirs also go to red regardless of the number of weir gates opened.

 

[Outinthedinghy]

Just gone yellow from below Cookham to Bray lock.

A few feet shut in at Marsh yesterday which is significant.

Dry forecast.

 

[Time Out]

Tinkering with the boat yesterday (in the weir stream of Tedd lock) plenty of people out, many of which should not have been! usual spread of kayaks from Richmond Canoe Club but that is not unusual however a good number of paddleboarders out which was insane. RNLI (Tedd boat club) practicing in the weir, pretty much everything fighting hard with the stream including a small pram dinghy with an electric outboard making zero progress!

Usually, I would have no issue in heading out but I took the decision that the stream was just a bit too much yesterday singlehanded so the interior got a nice polish instead!

 

[Scapegoat]

Nice to see proper red boards
River Thames Conditions - Sheridan Marine

 

[Outinthedinghy]

Thats a good idea someone has had there. Thanks for that.

I don't recall seeing yellow "Strong Stream" boards before.