angelaq
regular
Reged: 04/07/2007
Posts: 87
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Recent news release on dredging.
A £500,000 floating ‘vacuum cleaner’ will soon be on the River Thames, removing the sediment from the river bed to make life easier for boaters this summer.
The Versi Dredge, from contractors Land and Water, re-profiles the river by sucking up the soil from shoals formed on the river bed and pumping it up to 1km away to a different location.
Unlike traditional dredging there is no waste product from this operation and therefore more environment friendly. However, this operation will be carefully managed to ensure fish spawning grounds are not disrupted.
Ben Price in Operations Delivery for the Environment Agency said: “The Versi Dredge can do the work of 10 pieces of current equipment.
“It is the only one of its kind in the UK and we are really excited to be able to use it on the River Thames. It is a much quicker method of re-profiling the river bed and with no waste to dispose of it is far more environmentally friendly than traditional methods.
“River bed re-profiling is part of our ongoing maintenance work on the Thames’s navigation channel. Of course the work will be carried out in a way that minimises the impact on fish spawning areas.
“We had planned to carry out this work earlier this year but have been delayed because of the high flows in the river. However, we are hoping this work will only take about two weeks to complete.”
The Versi Dredge will be used at Benson Lock, Osney in Oxford, and in the reach between Pinkhill and Eynsham.
Mark Rowe, Operations Manager for the Upper Thames said: “We have a duty to maintain the river to a certain depth so boaters can safely navigate. Flooding and strong flows make this work challenging so I’m very pleased we are able to deal with shoals that have been a problem for boaters recently.”
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apollo
regular
Reged: 12/09/2003
Posts: 1123
Loc: Thames
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Quote:
pumping it up to 1km away
and Quote:
no waste to dispose
= back into the river? 
Can you explain more or perhaps point us at a Web Page that explains this new equipment?
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Cuchilo
regular
Reged: 19/04/2003
Posts: 4523
Loc: London
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HERE Maybe ?
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Dont come running to me if you fall over and break your leg .
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TrueBlue
regular
Reged: 30/04/2004
Posts: 1174
Loc: Sussex
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I saw the strange machine with thrashing paddle wheels late last week in the lock cut below Osney. Forward cabin with a ginormous power plant.
No tail pipe so must have been scraping the bottom.
Minutes later I came across another weird box being pushed by one of those "airborne war surplus tugs"no visible attachments but a long pipe - 100m or so 600mm in diameter trailing along behind.
So something's happening.
Nice to see EA admitting that they have some duty......
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sarabande
regular
Reged: 06/05/2005
Posts: 5386
Loc: Thames valley, or up on the mo...
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mmm, two weeks to dredge the Thames. That's going to make a big difference to a a lot of reaches. 
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Enlightenment is motor-sailing
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Cuchilo
regular
Reged: 19/04/2003
Posts: 4523
Loc: London
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I think its all a big bluff and they are looking for sunken treasure Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrr 
I wonder what will happen when they hit a shopping trolley 
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Dont come running to me if you fall over and break your leg .
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rr_123
regular
Reged: 22/08/2007
Posts: 545
Loc: Surrey
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Quote:
“We had planned to carry out this work earlier this year but have been delayed because of the high flows in the river.”
Chicken and egg??
Seriously, very good news, thanks Angela
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"Beer; the cause and solution for the world's problems..."
Homer. (Simpson)
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ARCMarineEveryman
regular
Reged: 06/12/2005
Posts: 427
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In a word doesn't this show why we have have a problem with the EA? Congratulations for at long last doing some dredging, but "far more environmentally friendly than traditional methods.". The problem with the EA is they have lots of responsibilities, and navigation is a pretty minor part, the envirinmental concerns far outweighing navigation. BW only have navigation to concern themselves with.
Still can't understand "and with no waste to dispose of", surely that's the whole point!
IanC
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No_Regrets
regular
Reged: 09/07/2007
Posts: 1291
Loc: Welwyn Garden City, Herts UK.
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So we're now congratulating the EA on fulfilling their responsibilities eh?
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Birchwood Owners Association (BOA) forum now open here -> http://birchwoodboats.aceboard.com/
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Andrew_Fanner
regular
Reged: 13/03/2002
Posts: 5498
Loc: ked into poverty by children
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Historically the Nile flooded regularly and this additional fertile soil allowed a food surplus and the growth of one of the early civilisations, some of whose acheivements are with us today.
What's so environmentally unsound about Thames silt that means it can't be put on the bank?
Angelaq, I'd be interested, as would my son who has environment stuff in a Geography project ongoing and it might be useful to him as well.
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Two beers please, my friend is paying.
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