River Level Management

[Brayman]

Having just returned from a 2½ week cruise upriver from Henley to Abingdon I really do believe the EA has lost the plot with respect to maintaining a navigable depth.

I've had this boat 8 years and every year bar one I've taken it up to Abingdon or Oxford and never touched the bottom once.

This year -
Overnighted at Byrons, next morning on the bottom, had to be pulled off, the level had dropped at least 3 inches.
The second night in Abingdon, found the fenders had dropped below the campshedding, another 3-4 inches gone overnight. On leaving Abingdon I scraped the bottom twice, once by the Anchor and again below the marked shallow.
Couldn't moor bankside at Clifton Hampden so went alongside a Broom 34, next morning we were both on the bottom, I had to be pushed off and we towed him off. Through Clifton Hampden bridge and at the marked shallows I scraped along the bottom for a bout 30 feet!

All places I have been over many many times.

Various theories from various lockkeepers including the management tinkering with the new weirs and that it's only a stream up there and not a real river(!).

Luckily I have a keel so hopefully no great damage done, it's coming out next week so I can have a look.

My draft is between 3' 10" and 4' depending on what's in which tank.
Having been slammed by licence increases I don't fancy having my navigable river sliced in half as well.

 

[sarabande]

Hope this is not a silly question from someone who is too fat to explore the Upper Reaches..

Does the EA publish any SLAs or KPIs (Service Level Agreements, or Key Performance Indicators) with any customers, relating to minimum depths or navigable courses ? I can understand them having a "best endeavours" clause, but what customers <u>rely</u> on water levels ? People with extraction agreements, sewage plants, cooling towers....

 

[Brayman]

Certainly as far as navigation goes I believe their Service Level provides for 4' as far as Oxford and other levels lower down, I'll see if I can locate it.........

 

[No Regrets]

Sure the old tub isn't sinking Ian? /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[boatone]

From the VisitThames website - I think it also appears somewhere on the EnvAg site....

Maximum boat depth
At certain times of the year parts of the River Thames between Cricklade and Inglesham are only navigable by small boats. Below Lechlade the navigation channel is normally available for boats of the following approximate drafts:

Lechlade to Oxford - 0.9m or 3'0"
Oxford to Reading - 1.2m or 4'0"
Reading to Windsor - 1.3m or 4'6"
Windsor to Staines - 1.7m or 5'6"
Staines to Teddington - 2.0m or 6'6"

My experiences during our two weeks in early July echo yours. Touched bottom in the same places. stuck quite hard just below Abingdon Bridge, also ran across the bottom on the fairway side of the buoy below Clifton Hampden.

Even more worrying I hit bottom (or an obstruction) mid river in the area of Better Boating below Caversham Lock.

All hese events were when coming back downriver, had no problems going upstream a few days earlier.

Whilst moored at Goring, an error in weir management resulted in a rise of around 12" in less than an hour and a fall of similar range after corrective action was taken. I had to intervene when I noticed a NB moored ahead of me was being tilted over due to a tight midships line from the roof.

 

[byron]

I have NEVER had complaints about depths here at Ashmount yet in July Brayman, Boat1 and a few others have been aground.
On several days I noted depths as much as 12" below normal summer levels. I am accustomed to seeing levels drop prior to expected heavy rains but never to this extent.

 

[Captain Coochie]

I know sod all about levels and to be honest it doesnt really effect me as Cuchilo can get in pretty much anywhere but it is worrying that whoever is calling the shots doesnt really know what they are doing , or so it would seem . Oh well we have heavy rain now for at least 30 mins so we will be in flood again by the weekend .

 

[Andrew_Fanner]

>>>
we will be in flood again by the weekend
>>>

Hope not, want nice sunny weather to do the gardens at Hampton Court for the lasses, followed by off to a public house Tedders way for a half of lemonade shandy

 

[miket]

I was talking to an experienced lock keeper in the Reading area recently (following the rapid drop of the river from above average high to below average low) and he thought that pert of the problem was inexperienced lock keepers at the top end of the river.

 

[apollo]

Can you not sue the EA much like is commonplace these days to sue the council when they dont fill in the pot holes?

Seems to be the only language that "government orgs" listen to these days..