Somerset Levels dredging underway
Albury, UK based Land and Water Services is undertaking Phase 1 dredging operations on the River Parrett at Riverside, Bridgewater. The dredging works have come as a result of the extreme flooding that took place across the Somerset Levels last winter, the worst seen in 250 years.
Being undertaken in partnership with the Environment Agency, the works follow intensive investigations and assessment. The enabling works were designed to understand and test parameters and constraints in order to ensure safe and successful operations. Testing was undertaken to demonstrate the stability of the bank prior to heavy machinery being positioned there. Environmental issues have been investigated, including minimising the disruption to local population during the dredging and disposal operations.
The scheme is part of a larger project to remove some 400,000 tonnes of material from the rivers Parrett and Tone to help protect the Somerset Levels from a repeat of the devastating flooding encountered earlier in the year. Land and Water will distribute the spoil on local farmland to provide a beneficial re-use.
By Larz Bourne
