THE GLOUCESTER & SHARPNESS CANAL is getting so silted that the larger tall ships can no longer navigate the waterway.
The waterway had a 10ft draught to accommodate big ships up to Gloucester, but it is now difficult to access with silt building up over the years.
Over the past 15 years the amount of silt in the waterway has increased so much that many ships can no long access the docks.
Silt ingress
The reason for this, it is told, is because silt ingress is due to water pumped from the Severn to supply Bristol with around half of its drinking water, with Canal & River Trust having a long term contract with Bristol Water which is not deemed very favourable for the trust.
It is understood that around 200 million litres are extracted from Sharpness for Bristol Water, but last year also it is estimated that around 50,000 cubic metres of silt entered the docks.
The trust has invested millions in dredging the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal in recent years and told that this accounts for around a third of the trust’s national dredging budget.