IWA is increasingly concerned about the condition of Gloucester Docks, where very high levels of silt are causing serious problems. Boats have been getting stuck in and around the Docks, with silt levels now so high in places that a bank has visibly formed in the middle of the basin.
Reports from local people suggest that the situation is the worst they have seen. We have also heard from former British Waterways engineers who were dealing with the same underlying problem as far back as the 1990s.
The immediate priority must be to dredge the Docks. But dredging alone is not a solution.
IWA is pressing Canal & River Trust (CRT) to set out what it is doing to develop a long-term solution. The current situation cannot continue indefinitely. CRT is having to commit a significant proportion of its national dredging resources to Gloucester Docks, while the level of dredging being undertaken is still not sufficient to keep the Docks fully viable. This inevitably places additional pressure on dredging elsewhere across the network.
IWA also believes that Bristol Water has an important role to play, given the connection between the water transfer and the conditions now affecting the Docks.
Commenting, Sue O’Hare, Chair of IWA’s Navigation Committee, said:
“IWA’s Navigation Committee has become increasingly concerned about the situation at Gloucester Docks. Two very dry summers have resulted in very large quantities of silt being pumped into the Docks as part of maintaining the drinking water supply to Bristol. Businesses, individuals and the city of Gloucester have all been significantly affected by the resulting low water levels and navigation difficulties.”
We are liaising with CRT to understand both its very welcome, immediate plans for dredging and its longer-term approach, setting out our concerns from the perspective of boaters, local businesses and the wider community that relies on Gloucester Docks.
We will continue to press for action to get the best possible outcome for boaters, local businesses and the city, monitor the situation closely, and engage with CRT and other relevant organisations towards a long-term solution.
