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Category: Canal and River Trust
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CRT have just issued these very welcome FAQs on boating in these difficult times.

You can read them here.

There is no relief on BSS examinations as yet. We have asked for three month extension and we will continue to press for this.

Whilst many will be able to get this important safety inspection completed, inevitably there will be those at high risk who simply cannot have an examiner in their home.

If you are in this position, let us know.

Remember too that the examiners have concerns too. If you are having an examination, it is polite to make them tea and then leave the boat whilst it is going on!

 

 

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Category: Canal and River Trust
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CRT have announced the publication of the two reports on the spliway failure at Toddbrook in 2019.

They have said

The Canal & River Trust welcomes the Government-commissioned Independent Reservoir Review report from Professor Balmforth which examines the cause of the damage to Toddbrook Reservoir last summer and makes recommendations for the improvement of reservoir safety across England and Wales. 

Both the Balmforth report and a separate independent report by expert reservoir engineer Dr Andrew Hughes, commissioned earlier by the Trust and also published today, identify that serious hidden design flaws, inherent in the concrete auxiliary spillway from the time of its installation in 1970, caused its partial collapse on 1 August 2019 following several days of heavy rainfall.

Since the incident last August, the Trust has implemented measures to enhance reservoir inspection and maintenance and will now be fully reviewing both reports and acting on their findings to ensure the ongoing safe stewardship of the reservoirs in its care.

You can read the details here.

There are links to the two reports.

The NABO team will review the reports and provide some comentary in the next NABO News in April.

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Category: Other Live Issues
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CRT has provided their response to the virus, which for many of us is giving normal life a bit of a rest.

The headline is that the canals remain open for use. Good news.

See their web page here.

For NABO, all representative meetings are being cancelled, but plans are being put in place for video and telephone conferences. The work does not stop.

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Category: EA and others
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On Tuesday 3rd March 2020 I represented NABO at the above Forum which brings together representatives of a wide cross section of users of the Thames, including the 8 River User Groups (the RUGs) and many other representative groups, with relevant EA personnel.  Chaired by the Thames Director, Julia Simpson, the very long meeting was valuable and above all illustrated that the new-look EA is making every effort to listen to its key river users in moving its navigational responsibilities forward over the next 5 years.

Read more: Report on meeting of Thames Navigation Users Forum (TNUF) March 2020