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Ribble Link Dredging Work on Schedule
01 Apr 2007
British Waterways in the UK says the Ribble Link is on target to reopen on the 6th of this month following £600,000 of winter maintenance works, including channel dredging, repairs to a lock bywash and the filling of a number of voids behind lock walls.
The £240,000 dredging works include traditional bucket dredging and use of a cutter suction dredger, which has pumped estuarine silt beyond the sea gate into the Ribble Estuary where it is carried away by an outgoing tide.
Steve Pugmire, British Waterways’ (BW) North West Asset & Programme Manager said, ‘Pumping the silt over the sea gate into an outgoing tide is a more sustainable and economic way of removing the silt that would otherwise typically go into landfill.’
BW was authorised to carry out the work with the cutter section dredger following an application approved by DEFRA.
Following its success BW will be reapplying for further licences to carry out annual work with cutter suction dredgers to remove the build up of silt that is bought into the Ribble Link throughout the course of a normal boating season.
