 British
Waterways have announced that
boaters travelling
along the Shropshire Union Canal will now enjoy an easier passage, thanks to
a £1.2 million dredging programme which has just been completed.
The 12 month contract involved clearing a 25 km
stretch of the popular canal from Chester to beyond Tattenhall, in an
operation which yielded an incredible 81,000 cubic metres of silt – an
average of 3.5 cubic metres for every metre of waterway. |
 British
Waterways project engineer Neil Rice said: “Dredging the Shropshire Union
Canal is part of an ambitious national maintenance programme to keep our
2,000 mile network of inland waterways in good condition. This year British
Waterways has spent nearly £20 million on improving the canal
infrastructure.
“The dredging work helps to sustain the
ecological balance along the canal bank. We were able to recycle the vast
majority of the dredged material from the Shropshire Union, which is
nutrient rich silt, back on to farm land.”
The dredging contract was carried out by Blue
Boar Farm Contracts, while environmental specialists ADAS carried out silt
sampling, site supervision and waste management.
In spring, the
dredging focus switches to the Llangollen Canal, for a major programme of
work which is expected to take around 12 months. The Llangollen Canal, which
passes through spectacular Welsh scenery, is one of the most popular on the
network, so work will be scheduled to minimise disruption during the busy
spring and summer cruising seasons.
Information courtesy Lynn Pegler, British
Waterways (lynn.pegler@britishwaterways.co.uk) |
