Spending on dredging
THE Canal & River Trust tells that it is to spend 8millions on dredging during 2019/20.
This, it maintains, is a comprehensive programme and covers locations identified by boaters, as well as the places that need dredging every year.
The canals
The list of canals include the Oxford Canal (various locations between Enslow and Wolvercote); Grand Union Canal (various locations between Bull’s Bridge and Boston Manor); Upper & Lower Peak Forest Canal (River Tame to Whaley Bridge); Macclesfield Canal (at various lengths); Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal (Sebastopol to Usk Road); Coventry Canal (Coventry Basin to Hawkesbury); Worcester & Birmingham Canal (Diglis to Lea End Lane); Llangollen Canal (spot dredging); and Chesterfield Canal (Trent to Babworth).
Annual maintenance dredging will take place on the Weaver (including Hunts Lock), the Ribble Link, the Severn and the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal, and throughout the Yorkshire and North East region. The trust will also be clearing the Thames approach to West India Dock, the Mersey approach to Canning Half Tide Dock, and lock approaches on the Trent.
Importance of dredging
Jon Horsfall, Head of Customer Service Support at Canal & River Trust, explained:
“Any boater will tell you how important dredging is, and we agree. It’s a never-ending task, and a necessary one, as we work to keep the waterways navigable and stop them becoming silted up. We listen to boaters’ feedback and we target our dredging accordingly.
"if we get lots of reports of a problem spot, it will go onto our priority list. This year we’ll be tackling plenty of places that boaters have told us could do with a little extra attention. We’ll also be focusing on supporting our charity-wide water saving work by using dredging to help clear feeder channels in key spots.
“Please do share your knowledge and experience with us. Together we can make sure we target our resources to make the biggest difference we can to your cruising, so you can relax and enjoy your time on the water.”
Continue to evaluate
The Trust explains that it will continue to evaluate the needs of the whole network and in some cases the projects may change.