As you’ve been reading, over the last series of editions, our staff and volunteers are out on the network conducting planned maintenance and doing our best to respond to issues as they arise – all in the effort of keeping the navigations open.
While much of the work we do on the cut is visible there’s always something going on behind the scenes. In this article we’ll look at the obvious and also the sometimes-hidden work that goes in to keeping navigation open now and in the future. We’ll start with some of the obvious:
Sleeve it out
A balance beam, that had previously had a temporary repair, broke in early August at Higherlands Lock on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. With a full repair on the cards for next year, engineer Matt Dodds had to devise a repair that would not only keep the lock operational through the remainder of the busy summer but also last until the full repair was carried out so that it would eliminate any further disruption in the meantime. Matt’s solution? A rugged metal sleeve!
Higherlands Lock, Leeds & Liverpool Canal before repair (1)
Axis of weevil
An army of 2mm-long weevils were deployed in the Dove & Dearne Canal in south Yorkshire, as we continued our battle against a problematic North American water weed.
Ecologist Ellie Harker released the creatures so they can eat the invading Water Fern (Azolla filiculoides). It’s a voracious grower and can multiply rapidly, covering the surface of a waterway with thick mats in a matter of weeks. This reduces light and oxygen levels in the water, killing fish and other wildlife, as well as affecting how boaters and anglers can use the canal.
Individually the weevils (Stenopelmus rufinasus) consume a relatively small amount of Azolla, however they breed to produce very large populations which as a community will feed extensively, until sections of Azolla start to die and sink, where it is further broken down by other feeders. Given time to reproduce and spread throughout a mat of Azolla, the weevil is capable of clearing entire lakes or canals within a matter of weeks.
Ellie explains: “Azolla might look attractive, but it’s actually a serious threat to water wildlife across the country. With the warmer weather there’s a danger that it can completely take over sections of the canal, so the weevils are a great ally to have.
“The weevils breed really quickly and only eat Azolla. They’ve got off to a roaring start and I’ll be returning to bolster their ranks to finish off the job early this month.”
Dearne & Dove Canal before weevils
Volunteers improve boating experience
The immense value that volunteers add to our work is always deserving of a mention. Martin Clarke, a volunteer, relayed the fantastic work on the Sheffield & Tinsley Canal that was carried out in the last few weeks and will be very noticeable to boaters.
With a tremendous effort, and during a hot couple of days, the group cleared 12 locks, and their approaches, of vegetation. Thanks also goes to the volunteer lock keepers who smoothed their passage and managed to facilitate the work without causing any hindrance to passing boats.
Volunteers clearing locks on Sheffield & Tinsley Canal
The cost of undoing storm damage
We’ve completed major repairs to a section of canal bank that was washed away by the winter floods in Leicester. This involved repairing and strengthening a 100-metre section of Grand Union Canal bank that saw significant damage when flood waters from the non-navigable River Soar, which runs parallel to the canal, had overtopped and scoured away the canal wall and towpath on top.
The damage to the wall, near Blue Bank Lock, south of Leicester, was caused when the river overtopped following a succession of heavy winter storms. Storm Babet in October caused initial damage before Storms Gerrit and Henk’s heavy rain compounded the issue and the resulting flooding saw the bank washed away.
Half a million pounds of repairs has seen the canal wall reinforced with new steel piling, backfilled with stone, which will make the canal more resilient to the impact of extreme weather. Leicester City Council provided nearly £44,000 of funding from its Transport Improvement Works capital programme to lay a new towpath on top - reinstating a popular route linking the Great Central Way and nearby Everards Meadows.
We’ve also carried out repairs on the approach to Blue Bank Lock, installing more sheet piling and adding new moorings for boats using the lock.
Linny Beaumont, regional director, said: “This is an example of the devastating impact that flooding brought about by climate change can have on our historic waterways, and the work we have to do to protect them for future generations.
“It also emphasises the need for continued support if we’re to keep them navigable and secure all the benefits that brings in turn to boaters, local people and wildlife. We’re grateful to Leicester City Council for helping with the cost of reinstating the towpath which is a popular route with local walkers and cyclists.”
The following section, building on Linny’s comment above, highlights one of the less obvious aspects of our work for boaters where we actively seek out engagement with local MPs to lobby for continued support so that we can #KeepCanalsAlive and open for navigation.
Flood damage in Leicester on Grand Union Canal
Members of Parliament shown need for continued support
As the examples of work above demonstrate, we’re constantly out on the cut carrying out repairs to keep navigation open for boaters. It is a year-round job that can only be done hand-in-hand with a concurrent long-term strategy that aims to keep it this way for generations of future boaters.
Part of this long-term strategy is doing our upmost to ensure that those sitting on the green benches of the House of Commons are aware of the huge benefits the waterways bring for boaters and the millions who use the towpath and why we need an active partnership with Government to continue our work in the future.
It is a similar picture around the network, however Yorkshire & North East regional director, Sean McGinley, has wasted no time in welcoming members of the new Government, and new Opposition, to the cut. It started on 6 August with the MP for Halifax, Kate Dearden, being given a tour of Tuel Lane Lock by volunteer lock keeper Peter Benson. No stranger to the canal network, Kate’s parents run the café at Bingley Five Rise on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal.
In just over the following three weeks Sean went on to meet another five regional MPs from York, Keighley, Doncaster Central, Huddersfield and Selby before they returned from summer recess and headed south to parliament earlier this week. In our other regions, too, we have an active programme of engagement with MPs from all sides of the House, tailoring our message to each, to emphasise the importance of the canal network to the country.
MP for Halifax Kate Dearden visiting Tuel Lane Lock
Working for boaters – in numbers
With Storm Lillian bringing winds over 70mph and as much as 70mm of rain in places, it’s no surprise that we’ve spent a fair bit of time clearing windblown trees to keep navigations open. However, with over 2,000 miles of canals and rivers it’s nigh on impossible to list all the things we’ve been doing over the last fortnight (I’m sure you haven’t got a spare couple of days to read the entire list!) but a scan of our stoppage notifications shows that we’ve…
Removed 17 wind-blown trees that were impeding navigation
Carried out nine general lock repairs such as repairing quoins, brickwork and beams
Worked on four dredging projects
Carried out/facilitated four dive surveys
Repaired three bridges
Carried/working on out two piling projects
Fixed two customer service facilities (such as toilets)
Repaired two pump out stations
Repaired one Elsan
Carried out one boater safety activity (such as placing buoys around hazards etc.)
Fixed (or in the process of fixing) one embankment
Carried out/facilitated one bathymetric survey (a water-based survey that maps the depths and shapes of underwater terrain)
Conducted/facilitated 11 bridge inspections
Since we started sharing these statistics (12 July 2024), the totals are:
Removed 73 wind-blown trees that were impeding navigation
Carried out 47 general lock repairs such as repairing quoins and brickwork
Repaired 22 bridges
Fixed 19 lock paddles
Repaired 17 pump out stations
Fixed 13 customer service facilities (such as toilets)
Fixed (or in the process of fixing) 12 embankments
Repaired 11 Elsans
Repaired eight sluices
Worked on seven dredging projects
Carried out six dive survey/repairs
Carried out/working on five piling projects
Removed four sunken boats
Carried out four boater safety activities (such as placing buoys around hazards etc.)
Repaired three culverts
Carried out/facilitated three bathymetric surveys (a water-based survey that maps the depths and shapes of underwater terrain)
Worked to control three invasive species (Pennywort, duckweed etc.)
Removed two sunken cars
Two stoppages due to nesting birds
Annoyingly had to clear one lot of illegal fly tipping (well, one that required a stoppage, there were plenty more!)
Conducted/facilitated 60 bridge inspections
The above list doesn’t include any work conducted purely on towpaths, water management, major reservoir projects and so on – it’s just a flavour of what we’ve been doing to help boaters keep moving on the cut!
Enfield Lock maintenance
Maintenance, repair and restoration work this weekend
As someone who’s out on, or by, the water more often than most, you’ll know that there are times when we need to fix things that unexpectedly break. So, below, you’ll find a list of navigations that have ongoing restrictions that may affect you if you’re planning to get out on the water this weekend:
When restrictions to navigation happen, we get them up on to our website as soon as we can – always best to have a scan before you set off. Have a read of the article below to find out how to get stoppage notification alerts on your smartphone.
If you have any questions about a specific closure, or spot an error in our system, please get in touch.
A red trip narrow boat leaves a lock at a canal junction at Cosgrove with onlookers watching and volunteers helping..
Moving water
Next Wednesday, 11 September, a consultation begins on the Grand Union Canal Transfer Scheme. This is a vital new scheme to move water from the Midlands to the Southeast. It is needed to secure future drinking water supplies. The scheme will also help to protect the environment, ensure future water availability for canal navigation, and unlock investment in local communities.
What is the Grand Union Canal Transfer Scheme?
Although it’s a joint water transfer project between two water companies, Severn Trent and Affinity Water, and us. Ensuring navigation is core to the design of the scheme. More than that though it also brings two other crucial benefits. Firstly, because the Coventry and Grand Union canals will be moving water year-round, including the summer, it will add to their resilience during hot spells when feeder reservoirs might be getting low on water.
Secondly, and harking back to the section above about the importance of engaging MPs, this scheme not only brings us an income which we can spend on maintenance, it also underlines the point that canals, and the network at large, have a vital role to play in modern daily life.
How will it work?
It will use a combination of new pipelines, water treatment plants and other infrastructure, as well as the canals themselves to transfer water from one region to another.
There are three main geographical areas of the scheme:
Northern section – transferring water from a proposed new Advanced Water Treatment Plant at the existing Minworth Wastewater Recycling Centre, to the Coventry Canal at Atherstone via underground pipeline.
Canal section – using the existing canal network to transfer water by building some new infrastructure such as pumping stations and gravity bypasses, alongside adapting some of the existing structures.
Southern section – transferring water into a proposed water treatment works and water storage, before it is transferred by underground pipeline to Affinity Water’s customers
You can find out all about the proposals and where we might need new infrastructure on our website: www.guctransfer.co.uk
The consultation
Consulting with boaters and local communities is a central part of the planning process and we encourage people to share their thoughts and opinions on this ambitious and transformative project. These comments will help us understand the views of all those who use the waterway as well as local communities, along with any potential impacts the proposals may have.
Boaters, local communities and interested parties can take part in the consultation in the following ways:
Freepost: post a hard copy feedback form or a written response to Freepost GRAND UNION CANAL TRANSFER (no stamp required).
There’ll also be a series of consultation events and pop-up events at various locations.
Get in touch
If you have a question about the scheme, if you need hardcopy documents or have any other queries, please do get in contact at any time by emailing [email protected], or calling 0121 270 5920.
The consultation runs from 11 September to 25 October.
Sharing the space
As a boater you’ll know that towpaths are now more popular than ever and although there hasn’t been an increase in reported incidents, accidents can still sadly happen. This tragic incident at Iffley Lock in Oxford, run by the Environment Agency, reminds us all that sharing the space isn’t just about being polite but also contributes to keeping everyone safe.
As well as promoting the this message on social media, we will be holding pop-up awareness events across the network to promote the Towpath Code. In case you, or anyone else you come across on the towpath, wants to refresh their memory of the code then you can either watch the video linked above or read this summary:
Accessible Waterways Association announces new event
Following on from last year’s successful ‘Towards Accessible Waterways’ day held in Birmingham, the Accessible Waterways Association is running a similar event in London on 5 October 2024, hosted by UCL East, in Stratford.
The day is aimed at anyone interested in the accessibility aspects of our inland waterways, whether boater or towpath users. This not only includes people with mobility challenges, but families with pushchairs, people with luggage and/or shopping trolleys – and more!
There will be a number of exhibitors, including those building mobility solutions and others running boat trips. A selection of speakers will give short talks about accessibility, with the opportunity for Q&A afterwards. The day is intended to be relaxed, fun and informative, with plenty of time available for friendly, informal chatting.
Everybody is welcome. Admission is free by ticket only. Lunch and refreshments are provided. Further details and booking form can be found on the AWA’s website.
New ramp with metal rails
Last Edited: 10 September 2024
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