Flooding and the Thames

[Gollom]

Howard

Bet life is a bit interesting at the moment - is it just you stopping the whole place flooding? So what volume are you dealing with currently and what % is it up on a "normal" time?

 

[MangoMan]

Yeah, I was just wondering the same thing???

 

[glojo]

I was always tempted to buy a house alongside the riverbank with a nice boat, but guess what?

I feel so sorry for all those effected by this horrible weather and hopefully the sun will soon come out and the Thames will once again become a river confined to within its banks?

Howard was saying earlier how they were opening a number of lock gates to let water through.

Regards
John

 

[Howard]

Hi all .

This situation upriver is a bit different to us down here . The ground is saturated and anything that falls is running straight into the river hence the very fast rise.

We've not had July flows like this at Tedders since the floods of 2002/03 , normally the weirs are fully shut in in July .

Currently at Teddington we have a flow rate of approximately 4.5 Billion gallons a day , with a current of 8 or 9 knots ....

The river at our end is up a little bit , but not exceptionally. You have to remember that Teddington is the biggest weir on the river, we can handle an awful lot before we get problems.

Thankfully we are on neap tides at the moment , so they are small. Our biggest problem can be when we have a lot of landwater coming through , and a big tide coming up , they meet around Richmond and it backs up !

I have to be a bit careful what i say on open forum , because at the end of all this , people are going to be trying to atribute blame , if they start googling 'thames floods' they could come across my comments and strictly speaking any Agency operational details are confidential.

H

 

[Gollom]

Appreciate your situation Howard

I think this blame culture is so sad and so damaging. To coin the American phrase, sometimes sh1t just happens! Sure people could have reacted a bit quicker - but who even imagined something on this scale? Let's just learn from it and move on!

1 billion needed to erect defences for the future. Now where are we mis-spending that amount of money I wonder

 

[pammy]

I agree - the conditions we have experienced over the past 10 weeks are unprecedented. Risk assessments are undertaken to think of likely eventualities, I'm sure no one could have contemplated that we would see such extreme persistent rainfall with such fast and widespread flooding. It's nature taking its course - so why does a person have to be identified to blame.

 

[Rose Chap]

Driving through Henley this morning and the river is up to the level of the road on New Street. For those who know Henley this is the road immediately on your right as you drive over the bridge from the Berkshire side.

Normally its a good few feet lower than this.

I hope it receeds soon.

 

[glojo]

Currently at Teddington we have a flow rate of approximately 4.5 Billion gallons a day , with a current of 8 or 9 knots ....

This is why I smiled when the news journalists were saying a reservoir was going to be emptied by just FOUR pumps. It might not have the flow rate of Teddington, but during these conditions there will be extra ordinary amounts of water flowing into them.

Hi Howard
I think we all understand your situation and mum's the word, but if there is any chance of a non employee posting pictures of the Thames then it would be interesting.

I hear in Gloucester they are now seeing drowned cattle? Thousands of houses without water or electricity (a power station has had to be shut down)

John

T

 

[television]

I was always tempted to buy a house alongside the riverbank with a nice boat, but guess what?



Regards
John

A few more weeks like this and your dream could come true, what type of boat will you buy

 

[Flatflr]

Must admit that I was a little worried on Friday afternoon as my house is only about 30 yards from the Kennet and Avon canal and the river Kennet in Newbury and only about 2 foot above the nomal canal level, was pleasently surprised when I got home on Friday to find that my house was all ok considering the amount of rainfall that we've had (people down stream in Thatcham wern't quite that well off though). Guess that's the advantage of the canal being what I would describe as a "Managed Waterway" with weirs and locks in place to control the water flow.

Nick

 

[glojo]

A few more weeks like this and your dream could come true, what type of boat will you buy

At about 300ft above sea level I think we will ALL have problems if our property getsflooded.

I'll just have a quick check to see where the water level is before posting

What type of boat will I buy?

This super yacht is hiding the little dinghy but it's there somewhere

Or should I buy this second-hand old yacht?

John

 

[garystu1965]

We get horrendous levels of rain, floods everywhere, cars submerged in streets of lakes, houses in 5 ft of water and yet 1000s of houses have no water !

It could only happen in Britain.

 

[fuzzer]

can anyone else see a hosepipe ban coming?

 

[mark.t]

We get horrendous levels of rain, floods everywhere, cars submerged in streets of lakes, houses in 5 ft of water and yet 1000s of houses have no water !

It could only happen in Britain.

the treatment works is under water ..... how do you supply water ????? the sub station is under water how do they get power to the tratment works ... some of the emergancy vehicals are under water .... some of employees of the water /electric comp are under water ...the sewers are full ...backed up all these problems have to be over come

we are being asked to help under security emergency measures and mutual aid programme I work in alternative supplies as a part of my job.... is is a bigger problem then there letting on and can open up more problems .... the kind of problems that give people ideas.... nuff said

 

[R2e]

Appreciate your situation Howard

I think this blame culture is so sad and so damaging. To coin the American phrase, sometimes sh1t just happens! Sure people could have reacted a bit quicker - but who even imagined something on this scale? Let's just learn from it and move on!

1 billion needed to erect defences for the future. Now where are we mis-spending that amount of money I wonder

Someone was saying on the TV yesterday people no longer talk about an 'act of God' just 'who can I blame'. I suppose this is down to the increase in atheism in recent decades ?

 

[mark.t]

also while there is still water in the main the pressure is being forced out through the many leaking pipes in the system and the effected system is massive ...when the water runs out the effect will be like back siphonage the water being sucked back through the mains ... with the road collapses as well gas main ruptures and power lines water mains broken ...it will be along time before normal service is restored

 

[crockers]

A few more weeks like this and your dream could come true, what type of boat will you buy

Mine's for sell...... ideal for floods etc....just get a longer rope or threeeeeee.....

Luckily no problems on Kennet and Avon.....

 

[crockers]

Someone was saying on the TV yesterday people no longer talk about an 'act of God' just 'who can I blame'. I suppose this is down to the increase in atheism in recent decades ?

Is that because we are no longer a "God fearing" Nation

 

[Howard]

These are from the winter , but we have the same amount of gates open today ...

The only difference is that the trees have leaves on them now ....

Each one of the radial gates that you can see in the pictures is 5m x 3m ...

Each of the arched roller sluices is 15m x 5m .. each foot we lift on these is equal to 1 of the radial gates ...

Currently at Teddington , we are about halfway to max flow today , the river is expected to peak at our end tomorrow ....

 

[Richard W]

...I hear in Gloucester they are now seeing drowned cattle?

In between brushing the main flow of water around the garage we killed some rats that had come up through the drains.... does that count