August Progress Report
By David Marshall
Above Ryeford
By Ken Burgin
August 2010
Work has now started on the repair of Ryeford Double Lock. Initially, an earth bund is being placed immediately below the lock to keep water from flowing back into it. The contract also includes clearance of the canal from Ryeford back to Oil Mills. Unfortunately, the canal cannot yet be joined at this point as the water around Ebley would simply drain away through the lock! Work at Ryeford should be complete by mid-October.
The second Reach towpath upgrade team will now begin work just downstream of Ebley Mill, rather than at Ryeford. This will address the problem caused by developers depositing soil on the towpath and then removing it. The level will be raised in places by approximately 7cm to improve flood protection. Reach provides training for community payback offenders and the long-term unemployed.
Volunteer members of staff joined members of the canal team in clearing large swathes of himalayan balsam along the canal. This highly invasive plant is easily treated by knocking it flat whilst it is in flower, but before it seeds – giving only a narrow window for treatment. Other invasive plant species along the canal – Japanese Knotweed and Giant Hogweed are being treated by specialist contractors.
Two volunteer open days held last week for the general public were very successful – with a total of 23 new individuals coming along. Especially pleasing was that a number of the new volunteers were students currently attending Cirencester College. The two days were spent clearing vegetation from the towpath at Wallbridge and Bowbridge.
Trustees of the Heritage Lottery Fund – the canal project’s principal funder – recently toured the canal and received a presentation on the project to date. Informal feedback was that it is probably the best-managed project currently on their books and that consideration needs to be given to submitting a funding bid for phase 1B – the length between Stonehouse and Saul – which would give access to the national canals network.
The A46 bridge project is progressing well and the traffic diversion has been generally well received; though it obviously coincided with the end of term and the holiday season. Minor alterations will be made to the mini-roundabout at the bottom of Rowcroft on Tuesday evening.
Four weeks of work camps involving volunteers from the Waterway Recovery Group have resulted in the rebuilding of Gough’s Orchard Lock at Brimscombe being virtually finished, apart from a few minor touches. Most of the scaffolding has been removed – the Lock is well worth a visit!