CANAL & RIVER TRUST'S CONTRACTORS have now completed the removal of approximately 4,000 tonnes of sand from the area of the breach.
And have re-graded the previously flooded field, Keith Gudgin reports.
Culvert successfully cleared
And the buried culvert has been successfully cleared and is now flowing.
Image by Canal & River Trust of the original breach.
Current works are focused on excavating the remaining embankment back to the original breach profile. Material is being carefully removed using tracked excavators and dumpers, with stockpiles being created on site before removal for off-site reuse.
The trust tells that preparation is underway to commence reconstruction of the embankment. That will involve backfilling in layers, incorporating geogrid reinforcement to improve structural strength.
Materials reused
Wherever possible, material recovered from the site will be reused in the rebuild. Due to the constrained nature of the site, with a single access point, operations are being carried out as efficiently as possible using specialist plant.
Water continues to be managed by pumping around the breach. An alternative flume solution was investigated; however, this has not been progressed due to limited space on site.