Ouse News - Summer 2024 Great Ouse Branch
Newsletter covering the Great Ouse and tributaries
AGM March 2024
photo courtesy of Environment Agency
Campaigning for the conservation, use, maintenance, restoration and development of the Inland Waterways.
Contents:
Branch Committee p2
Branch News p3
Chairman’s Corner p4
Reach Signs p7
Ouse Washes - EA p9
IWA Press Release p12
News from EA p15
The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Inland Waterways Association or of the Great Ouse Branch. They are, however, published as being of interest to our members and readers.
Ouse News Page 2
Great Ouse Branch Committee:
Chairman:
KeithAlderton
Tel : 01366 727236
Secretary:
John Hodgson
Tel : 01234 344884
Treasurer:
Enid Hodgson
Tel : 01234 344884
Ouse News Editor:
CaroleAlderton
Tel : 01366 727236
Membership Officer: Peter Webb
Tel: 01353 658581
Member: Stephen Foote
Tel: 01763 838936
Member: RobinAdams
Tel: 01223862026
Do you have a few hours to spare? We need your help! Weareasmall,friendly group and desperately need more committee members to help us organise meetings and events. One committee member has just resigned due to personal circumstances and there is the possibility that two more could retire within the foreseeable future. Please contact the Chairman.
Ouse News Page 3
Branch News
WinterMeetingsareat8.00 pm at the North Lodge Pavilion, North Lodge Park, Milton, CB24 6UD.
THURSDAY 24TH OCTOBER 2024
This will be a talk by Paul Strudwick, ChairmanofLondonRegionandIWA Trustee.
THURSDAY 28TH NOVEMBER 2024
This will be an illustrated talk by our Chairman, Keith Alderton, entitled The Cut-Off Channel - Conceived in 1642 and Completed in 1964.
THURSDAY 27 TH FEBRUARY 2025
Liz Davies will be presenting ‘A Journey Through Time’, an illustrated talk about the way the River Great Ouse has affected the development of St Neots.
THURSDAY 27 TH MARCH 2025
This will be our AGM, followed by an update by a River Manager from the Environment Agency
Welcome to our latest member and we hope to
welcome more new members soon.
Mike Starnes, Burwell, Cambridge
If anyone is reading this newsletter and would like to become a member, please contact Peter Webb, our Membership Officer, on 01353 658581.
Ouse News Page 4
Chairman’s Corner
Local boaters will be well aware that for many, the boating season has either yet to start or has been severely curtailed due to the Great Ouse River System being largely boxed-in by a multitude of lock failures. At the end of May, Amy Tillson IWA Campaigns Officer issued a press release highlighting the issue (see page 12).
Those members who attended the branch AGM in March will recall that Nathan Arnold (Team Leader, Waterways Partnerships & Development Team of the Environment Agency) outlined the problems that had been encountered as a result of exceptionally high river flows and excessive silting occurring over a prolonged period. This had caused much of the planned winter maintenance programme to be either cancelled or postponed. Nathan explained that many of the guillotine gate mechanisms were bespoke to each particular lock, thus making it impossible to keep a universal stock of spare parts. This resulted in damaged parts having to be removed and used as a pattern for the manufacture of their replacement – all this causing excessive delay and increased costs. Nathan reported that the perennial problem of silting at Salters Lode was being belatedly tackled , in conjunction with the Middle Level Commissioners.
Adverse weather has also caused problems for CRT on the North Oxford Canal near Brinklow. Here, continuous rain caused a vast landslip to carry thousands of tonnes of soil and mature trees into the canal, blocking it completely for three months. Fortunately, the blockage had been finally cleared just a couple of days before our intended passage en route to the Ashby Canal. Full marks to CRT for a job well done!
Ouse News Page 5
The EnvironmentAgency has announced that it was passing responsibility for navigation over to the Flood & Coastal Risk Management Department.
Andrew Pearce will be responsible for National Navigation - Service, Strategy &Assets. Let’s hope this does not mean that navigation will be regarded as being a relatively unimportant minor part of a much larger brief! EA navigation licence holders are being invited to have their say on the future of boat registration charges from 2025 onwards.You can view the consultation documents and questions at:-https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/environment-and-business/charges-proposal-boat-reg/ You have until 9th August 2024 to make your submission.
You may recall that I cited the urgent need for new members to join the branch committee. I am pleased to report that long-standing member Robin Adams came forward to offer his services and has subsequently been coopted onto the committee. Robin, who has a particular interest in inland shipping, will bring a great deal of knowledge to the team.
You will see from the Branch News section that we already have a full programme of events planned for the coming year You will note that we changed the subject of the first meeting in October to a talk by IWA Trustee and London Region Chairman, Paul Strudwick. Paul will be coming in response to concerns expressed at a previous general meeting on the perceived turmoil in IWAHead Office. Hopefully Paul will be able to explain the reasons for the changes in governance that have taken place and outline future strategy. In November, I will be giving a talk entitled ‘The History of the Cut-Off Channel – Conceived in 1642 & Completed in 1964’ in which I follow the history of the cut (which runs through our parish) from Vermuyden’s original concept through to the current day. In February 2025, Liz Davies will be presenting ‘A Journey Through Time’, an illustrated talk about the way the River Great Ouse has affected the development of St.Neots. March will bring us back to the branch AGM once again.
I hope that you have a good, if somewhat belated boating season and look forward to seeing you in the autumn. Keith Alderton
Ouse News Page 6
Ouse News Page 7
Reach Signs - Peter Webb
In the 1970s the banks of the lodes connecting Burwell & Reach were leaking due to the shrinkage of the Fens and were now flooding the land they were constructed to drain!
As the Swaffham Bulbeck and Bottisham lodes were also leaking it was going to cost a lot of money to repair, so one proposal was to demolish the high level lodes and create a new low level system.
As this would mean navigation by boats would cease, the boating community and IWA started to campaign to keep the navigations open. Eventually the navigations were saved.
The IWA Cambridge Branch (now Great Ouse) adopted Reach as focal point. (I would love to know why Reach and not Burwell? )
Reach still has a pub and also a big fair on the first Bank Holiday in May. For many years our branch had a boating rally and BBQ whilst the fair was on. It also had a sales stall at the event mainly to promote the IWA.
In 1984 two signs were erected on the Hythe showing the connection with the River Cam. Amazingly both remained intact until 2023, almost 40 years!!!
Eventually one post snapped and the other sign was not in the best condition so it was decided that new ones would be made. So over the winter I have made replacements. Work has been slower than expected due to weather mainly, but hopefully we should erect them this summer.
Ouse News Page 8
If anyone has more information on the lodes and sign history please let the editor know.
Ouse News Page 9
Ouse Washes – managing water quality
Overview of last year’s response
During 2023 season we utilised a freshening flow to keep water moving and mixing to reduce stagnation in the lower water column. Our sondes (remote water quality telemetry) worked well and continuously monitored water quality from key locations along the channel. Analysis of the data collected at Welches Dam indicated that between 1 June 2023 and 30 August 2023: surface dissolved oxygen values averaged 66% and did not drop below 25% saturation, lower water column oxygen averaged almost 50% saturation and only fell below 20% saturation in 3% of samples.
To put this into context, in years prior to the freshening flow it was not unusual for over 90% of the deep samples collected during midsummer to fall below 10% saturation. It was encouraging to see reports on social media showing that anglers had enjoyed some good sport from the river and our routine seine netting survey confirmed the presence of a strong fish population in the lower waterbody with almost 2,000 fish of 8 species recorded at Welmore Lake Sluice, principally composed of roach, perch and some large common bream. The 2024 season will see the same approach and monitoring apparatus will be installed at 5 key locations in mid-April 2024.
Planned approach to manage water quality 2024
River levels remain high on the Delph as we draw down flood waters off the Ouse Washes.
Ouse News Page 10
We will initiate incident response once river levels in the Delph have dropped sufficiently for us to install our sondes. We will then commence daily monitoring and be prepared to respond to any incidents as outlined below. At this time, subject to your feedback, we do not propose to make any changes to our approach to managing water quality from 2023.
Earith Sluices will continue to operate in line with summer retention levels, automatically opening if upstream levels increase, which would naturally boost dissolved oxygen (DO) levels within the channel. We will monitor DO levels, at the following locations on a daily basis:
Welmore Lake Sluice - surface only
Welney Bridge - surface and depth
Welney Counterdrain - surface only
Welches Dam - surface and depth
Sutton Gault Bridge - surface only
These locations provide a representative picture of the water quality in the River Delph and have proved sufficient from which to base our decision making. Data will be available online once monitoring commences. If DO levels drop to 25% or below at any single location we will take the pre agreed precautionary step of opening Earith Sluice by 1% to introduce a sweetening/freshening flow of fresh water into the channel. We will advise you when we open the sluice to provide this freshening flow
This represents a precautionary measure to prevent further deterioration and prevent the need for mechanical or chemical aeration. Chemical dosing and aeration would remain available as next steps should the situation not resolve itself, however a freshening flow provides a better environmental solution for the entire channel.
Ouse News Page 11
Precautionary measures
Please be reassured that: we will continue to pump water from Welmore Lake Sluice to ensure we meet the summer retention level on the Old Bedford/Delph, we will monitor water levels upstream in the Great Ouse to protect navigation and abstraction, the operation to provide a freshening flow will not increase levels in the River Delph, only flow rates.
Future measures
The Water Transfer Licence is still in progress. Once in place we will be able to use the pipes installed at Earith Sluice to achieve a freshening flow, potentially reducing the frequency of having to open Earith Sluices. We hope to be able to commission and operate the pipes during 2024.
Sadia Moeed - East Anglia Area Director, West
Ouse News Page 12
PRESS RELEASE: Anglian Waterways isolated by closures
IWA is deeply concerned about the double effect of funding cuts and the recent prolonged extreme weather on access to and within the Anglian waterways.
Boaters are unable to navigate to or from the Great Ouse, as there is no completion date for the desilting works at Salter’s Lode, which did not start until 27th May. It could be mid-June or later before the first boat from the Middle Level and beyond will be able to access the Great Ouse system, and for Great Ouse boaters wishing to use their Anglian Pass licences to access the Middle Levels and Nene. The impact of the stoppage is already being felt by local boatyards and hireboat companies, whose trade relies on the navigable connection.
The River Nene is expected to open fully on 1st June after winter works were delayed by the recent extreme weather and navigation on the Bedford Ouse is also affected by the ongoing closure of Brownshill Lock due to failure of parts which will need to be fabricated, with no date yet available for its reopening due to the complex nature of the repair. Further upstream, the Cam Conservators have had to close both Bait’s Bite and Jesus Locks due to structural concerns, with no timescales yet available for their reopening. Brandon Lock on the Little Ouse is also closed until further notice due to siltation. A broken beam on the Northampton flight connecting the canal system to the River Nene further limits access to the region.
The Upper Great Ouse, the Ely Ouse and the Middle Levels are currently all isolated from one another, and no boats are able to get to the extremities of the Ely Ouse’s tributaries at Cambridge or Brandon. Whilst the waterways are open either side of all these closures, they create a fragmented system with users prevented from accessing key facilities and services, and hire boats trapped.
Ouse News Page 13
Paula Syred from Fox Narrowboats in March said “Not only will half of our hire season have been affected, we have also seen a major downturn in our workshop and slipway services as customers have had to cancel or reschedule their work, being unable to reach us. The only growth in business this year has been from boats being lifted onto lorries to escape the area.”
Sue O’Hare, Chair of IWA’s Navigation Committee said “Combined with inadequate funding, issues such as these will only worsen as the impacts of climate change are increasingly felt. The Fund Britain’s Waterways group has come together to campaign to persuade national and local government to ensure that the benefits provided to the public by the waterways do not continue to be eroded.”
The EnvironmentAgency was approached for a response but was unable to comment in the pre-election period.
Amy Tillson Campaigns Officer
Ouse News Page 14
Bridge Boatyard
Bridge Road Ely, Cambs
CB7 4DY
email info@bridgeboatyard.com
Website www.bridgeboatyard.com
Telephone 01353 663726
Moorings in marina and on riverside in historic Ely. Close to rail station.
Repairs and servicing
Engineering and glassfibre
workshops
Slipway
Suppliers of diesel, gas and coal
Authorised Nanni dealership
Gas safe engineer
Ouse News Page 15
River News from the Environment AgencyNew Waterways Team Leader for the Great Ouse, Lee Cobbold, and Nathan Arnold, Team Leader, Waterways Partnerships & Development Teams
The photos shown came with the following statement from the Environment Agency:
‘All photos are since the start of March 2024, but we cannot provide opinion or comments at the moment due to our pre-election guidance but will be able to provide more commentary for your next issue.’
Boating again between Denver Lock and Salters Lode
at Denver
Desilting
Ouse News Page 16
First boats through Denver and Brownshill
Latest boat removed following enforcement
Ouse News Page 17
Landing Stage and Portage cleaned
Roxton
Weed removal at Burwell Lode
Weed removal at Upware Moorings
Ouse News Page 18
River Inspectors removing top of tree to improve navigation
West tree obstruction - main trunk
Tree in channel identified with buoy
Old
Ouse News Page 19
Channel restriction reduced
Gt Barford LockLooking Great
Ouse News Page 20
Before and after
Bedford railway bridge obstruction - before and after
Tree encroachment on channelSt Ives to Pike & Eel.
Ouse News Page 21
Pictures of the winter floods shown at our AGM in March
Brownshill flood
Debris and clean up at Great Barford
Ouse News Page 22
St Ives flooding
Ouse News Page 23
Some more general pictures shown at the AGM
Isleham flowers
Little Thetford moorings Sandhills Moorings
Ouse News Page 24
The Inland Waterways Association is a non-profit distributing company limited by guarantee. Registered in England No 612245. Registered as a charity No 212342. Registered Office: 16B Chiltern Court, Asheridge Rd, Chesham, HP5 2PX. Phone No 01494 783453.