Dear Customers,
You may or may not be aware that British Waterways have announced that they intend to close a 60 mile stretch of the Leeds Liverpool Canal on the 2nd August should water levels in the feeder reservoirs not increase up to 20% holding.
We as a company have had to take the decision to implement contingency plans we have in place. Our hire boat fleet will temporarily re-locate to Apperley Bridge, Yorkshire on the Leeds Liverpool Canal. John and I have reviewed various locations and in our opinion this is the option and we feel will have least impact on our customers.
What does this mean for you our customers?
Customers departing after 24th July, will collect their boat from Apperley Bridge and return to Apperley Bridge.
We have worked hard to find a location that is in our opinion as nice as our current location, has varied cruising options and causes minimum disruption to our customers.
The alternative cruising routes take in Skipton, Bingley Five and Three Rise, the Aire Valley, Aire and Calder Navigation, Selby Canal to name a few. We have personally navigated this easterly section of the waterways many times and I can assure you; you will not be disappointed.
I have detailed below a question and answer sheet issued by British Waterways for your perusal.
If you have any queries or worries at all please don’t hesitate to contact me.
We look forward to meeting you all and apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
For further information please contact lesleycanalboatcruises.co.uk or 01254 667412
BRITISH WATERWAYS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS DOCUMENT
Q&A: Part closure of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal from Monday 2 August 2010 due to extreme drought conditions
British Waterways (BW) has taken the very difficult decision to close a 60-mile section of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal to navigation from Lock 85 (Wigan) to Lock 30 (Gargrave) from Monday 2 August 2010, until further notice.
Why is BW closing a section of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal?
The UK has had the driest first six months of the year since 1929, and the second driest in a century (according Met Office statistics). This has hit the North West particularly hard due to a lack of Atlantic weather systems, meaning very little rainfall, and the topography of the bedrock, meaning a reliance on reservoir storage.
There are seven reservoirs which feed the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, all owned by BW. BW’s hydrology team predict that they will reach 10% holdings at around Monday 2 August. The 60-mile affected section is fed by these reservoirs; however the remaining 67 miles of the canal are supplemented by local river feeds that are currently under lower risk.
Who will be affected?
We are sorry that the drought is having such an effect on our navigations and have made every effort to keep our trade and user groups informed of the latest information as we have it.
The seven reservoirs feeding the closed section of the canal also support four coarse fisheries and three trout fisheries.
In total, there are 2,000 boats moored on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal (both BW and private moorings) and 15 trade businesses (including marinas, hire boat operators, trip boats and a hotel boat). Eight businesses are based on the affected stretch.
There are a quarter of a million visits to the canals in the region every week. The towpath will remain open to the public, however BW is asking visitors to take extra care at the towpath edge as water levels fall.
What has BW done to keep the canal open?
BW talked to user groups early in the year and first put out notices warning of shortages and recommending ways of conserving water at the beginning of May 2010. The first restrictions were put in place at the end of May (with the canal only open between 9am and 4.30pm (6pm for trade customers), and the Wigan flight only open once at 10am.
Further restrictions were put in place in mid-June whereby flights would only be open between 10-12pm and 2-4pm, including trade customers. The Wigan flight remained open once at 10am. These restrictions were put forward by our trade customers at a special meeting.
The latest restrictions were put in place at the beginning of July closing any unbooked passages for the Liverpool Link and Ribble Link.
What will a ‘part closure’ of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal mean?
On Monday 2 August the feed from all seven reservoirs will be turned off until further notice and a ‘stoppage’ will be put in place on a 60-mile stretch from Lock 85 (Wigan) to Lock 30 (Gargrave).
Stop planks will be put in at seven key locations along this stretch which will protect the long pounds – thus offering better protection for the aquatic ecology and prolonging water levels for moored boats. These locations are: Lock 65 (top of Wigan flight); Lock 58 (top Johnson’s Hill flight); Lock 52 (top Blackburn flight); Lock 45 (top Barrowford flight); Lock 44 (top Greenberfield flight); Lock 41 (top Bank Newton flight) and; Lock 34 (top Gargrave flight).
The seven reservoirs will continue to be monitored daily for dissolved oxygen levels and temperatures. If the fish within the reservoirs become distressed, pumps will be installed to oxygenate the water. The one abstractor in this section will be asked to stop abstracting.
When will the canal re-open?
The overall situation is entirely dependent on the weather and will be monitored daily. Once the reservoirs reach 20% holdings, this will trigger looking at re-opening of the canal – possibly in stages, however, this could be many weeks away.
What advice would you give to people planning a boating holiday on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal?
Of course our sympathy goes out to anyone whose holiday has been affected by the drought. These are exceptional circumstances and we are working with hire boat companies in order to ensure people still can enjoy their holidays. This has included booking passage through locks for the boat hire companies and working with them on alternative routes. In some cases we are looking at the possibility of relocating the company on a temporary basis. Our advice is to contact your holiday operator to get the latest information.
Is there a risk to wildlife?
One of our primary concerns is to make sure the Site Of Special Scientific Interest on the canal, the fish and other wildlife will be supported despite the low water levels. This is why we are retaining a limited quantity of water in our reservoirs and installing stop planks in the longer pounds.
What is the risk to the rest of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal?
The western section, between Wigan and Liverpool, is supplemented by the River Douglas which is currently at a medium risk status. If the river levels drop much further then the closure could be extended.
The eastern section, between Gargrave and Leeds is currently at green risk status but monitoring of the feeder streams will continue.
The whole of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal towpath remains open however visitors should take extra care on the towpath edge as falling water levels will create higher drops at some points.
What is the risk to other local canals?
The Rochdale Canal is also fed by reservoirs, owned by United Utilities, and we have been working with them very closely to keep the water levels up. There is a risk that increased traffic in the North West will mean that the Rochdale and Huddersfield Narrow Canals are put under additional stress and could potentially lead to closures. We will continue to work hard to keep our boaters moving.
What is the risk to other canals across the UK?
There is currently a lower risk of restrictions and closures elsewhere in the UK, however, the situation is been monitored daily and in these exceptional circumstances BW cannot guarantee that there won’t be restrictions in other areas.
Has this ever happened before?
We have not had to restrict or close a canal to such an extent due to drought conditions since the mid-1990s.
