IWA is increasingly concerned about the long-term future of Gloucester Docks, where very high levels of silt are, once again, preventing navigation of all boats save for those with the shallowest of draughts. 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.
While Canal & River Trust (CRT), once again, must divert precious funds to dredge the Docks this winter, a long-term solution is needed to avoid this continual annual cycle of siltation and dredging.
IWA is pressing CRT to set out what it is doing to resolve matters on a more permanent basis, instead of having to commit a significant proportion of its national dredging resources to Gloucester Docks. This inevitably places additional pressure on dredging or repair works elsewhere across the network.
IWA also believes that Bristol Water has an important role to play, given that its water abstraction requirements are the cause of the silt being imported into the Dock.
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 again being pumped into the Docks in order to maintain the drinking water supply to Bristol. Businesses, individuals, and the City of Gloucester have all been significantly affected by the ‘bottom being far too near the top’.”
We are liaising with CRT to understand the full situation, their contractual constraints, and longer-term approach, setting out our concerns from the perspective of boaters, local businesses and the wider community that relies on Gloucester Docks.
IWA will continue to press for action towards a long-term solution, rather than the present annual cycle of wasted resources.
