Water levels on the River Welland look likely to be low for most of the summer after it was claimed asbestos was found where its banks were breached.
The Voice understands work was meant to start on repairing the breach on Monday (April 22).
The Environment Agency has not told The Voice the reason for not starting, but a representative told Welland Yacht Club it was due to the find of asbestos.
The club is worried it’s set to severely hamper its summer season, particularly as the Environment Agency’s Defence Team has said it won’t cut weeds on the waterway as it has had to in recent years.
“Welland Yacht Club has been sailing from its current location for over 70 years and has always had a good relationship with the EA or its predecessors but our club cannot function unless we are able to sail regularly,” a spokesman for the club said. “Our members feel that the EA is doing nothing to improve the situation with the current delays being preventable.
“In addition to our club’s interests these issues are impacting Spalding Water Taxi, other water users and the angling club. Currently there is little or no ‘on the water’ recreational activity taking place in the Spalding area. With the upcoming Flower Parade only three weeks away, presumably the low water levels will remain, doing nothing to paint the town in a good light to the thousands of visitors expected.”
The Environment Agency says it has raised water levels recently, but Welland Yacht Club say it’s only by half a metre and not high enough for them to sail.
On the discovery of the asbestos, the spokesman continued that the club was ‘very disappointed with the latest development to this saga’.
“It’s hard to understand how the work has taken three months to schedule and then at the final hour the EA realises that asbestos is present. We assumed detailed planning would have taken place so they could hit the ground running this week, but clearly not.
“In addition to the water level issue the EA’s flood defence team have confirmed that they will not be carrying out any weed cutting this year and have passed us on to the ‘waterways team’ via a generic email address. Messages to this from the club have so far gone unanswered.
“Our worry is that by the time the bank is repaired and the water level raised, the weed will have grown and most if not all of our sailing season will have been lost.
“This in turn will mean lost revenue for the club and a reduction in membership.
“Historically the EA or its predecessors carried out regular maintenance of the river and its banks including dredging, weed cutting, bank maintenance and sluice maintenance but most of these remedial measures seem to be being cancelled with the EA preferring to focus on large ‘showcase’ projects’.”
Both the sailing club and Anthony Grunwell who runs the Spalding Water Taxi say they believe the water levels could be raised higher and not cause problems at the breach.
Mr Grunwell said the water taxi has lost thousands.
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“As a not for profit organisation it’s hit us very hard.
“I still have people ringing asking for boats and I have to say ‘I’m sorry it’s not safe’.
“The water levels have risen and it’s deep in places, but not in others.
“You can see the boulders and stones at the bottom which will cause a problem to the boats.
“The main problem though is the jetties in Spalding and at Springfields are all skew-whiff because of the low water levels.
“They’re not safe to use.”
A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: “We have been undertaking pumping as well as discharging water from the washes via Locks Mill Sluice into the River Welland to remove water from the washlands and flooded land.
“We are working with our contractors to plan the repairs to the breaches on the banks of the Crowland and Cowbit washes and plan to start this work over the coming weeks.
“We estimate this work will take around ten weeks to complete. Throughout this period, we will continue to monitor risks to the environment and wildlife.
“Our repairs on the Bourne Eau are close to being finished.”
