Boaters' Update 22 October 2013

Think of this page as your one-stop shop for up-to-date boating news. It's packed full of useful information about boating on canals and rivers as well important safety announcements and upcoming events. To make sure you don't miss out, create a MyTrust account, check the boating communications box and we'll send you a fortnightly summary and reminder email.

This is the place to find the latest boating news and views. This page is updated, at least, every fortnight. Of course, we don't want this just to be one way. Some of the articles below ask for your views so please send them to me, Damian Kemp. My job title is bit clunky but, in brief, I'm here to talk and listen to boaters. Drop me a line if you feel like it - maybe you'd like to share something with the boating world? I can also be found on our Facebook Boating page and on Twitter.

22 Oct 2013

For this edition, because there’s lot to cover, let’s dive straight in (pardon the pun). Please follow the links below to find out about…:

• Last week, this week – what’s happening on or by the cut?
• Navigation Advisory Groups – what’ve they been up to?
• Water points – why have we spent half a million pounds on them?
• Chesterfield Canal Trust – how you can help?
• Habitat hunters – how can you take part in this year’s Great Nature Watch?
• Bits and bobs – a mop up of assorted news including; winter moorings, the Association of Continuous Cruisers and Local Waterway Partnerships strategic plans.

If you’d like to have your say in a future edition of Boaters’ Update, drop me a line and I’ll happily oblige!

Happy boating,

Damian

Last week, this week

Over the last week or so you may have heard that:

• 7 Oct - The Heritage Lottery Fund has helped us and the Montgomery Canal Partnership take another step towards the Montgomery Canal’s full restoration.
• 14 Oct - 18-year-old Amy Irwin became the youngest person in the country to lead and inspire a canal adoption.
• 15 Oct – Three month winter mooring permits went on sale (five month permits were launched 3 October).
• 17 – 20 Oct – The Inland Waterways Association was out getting its hands dirty with a canal clean-up in Milton Keynes.

In the coming week you might like to know that:

• 26 Oct – 3 Nov – If your (grand)children are looking for something to do this half term then, if you’re in the area, why not pop along to ghoulish Gloucester or spooky Standedge? Or perhaps they’d like a bone-chilling boat trip on the Dudley Canal?
• 26 – 27 Oct – If you’d rather step back in time, why not try out a 1940s themed weekend at the National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port?
• 30 – 31 Oct – Fancy yourself as a budding sleuth? You could always test the theory and take part in a live action Murder Mystery event at the National Waterways Museum…
• 2 – 3 Nov – If fizzling fireworks are more your thing then you might want to visit the Birmingham Canal Navigation Society’s Bonfire Rally.

If you're holding an event on one of our waterways we'll add it to our listings if you email us at feedback@canalrivertrust.org.uk. Don't forget to send a picture! If it’s something you’re considering then please take a look at our event planning pages.

Navigation Advisory Groups

As some of you may know, when we became the Canal & River Trust, we built an organisational structure that aimed to draw on the experience and knowledge of the people who use the waterways and those with specialisms in areas of the Trust’s work. One aspect of this was the creation of National Advisory Groups.

Most boaters have an interest range far wider than just boating but, seeing as this is boaters’ update, I thought I’d ask the chairs of the two advisory groups relating to boating to give us an overview of what they’ve been up to over the last year or so. They were glad to…

Mike Carter, chair of the Navigation Operations group:

We’ve been meeting for just over a year now and it’s great to be able to report, as the Chair, that the group consists of a really good cross section of extremely experienced waterway users. We have a combined total of over 310 years of inland waterway contact and 270 years of canal boat ownership or usage. The group has members that include various types of boat owners, ramblers and canoeists along with senior Trust operations staff.

A lot of work has been undertaken in this first year with the aim of developing ways that the group can best fulfil its role and tasks. This has been embraced fully by the entire group. Everyone has taken seriously the need to build understanding and have worked constructively to achieve this.

I see one of the main challenges, for me as Chair, as being that of managing expectations, both among the group and those of wider waterway users. The experience each group member has brings with it an understanding of what changes could and should be undertaken to deliver a better waterway. However, while we have begun to demonstrate an ability to deliver solid, relevant advice the task will always be ongoing. The reality is that in quite a lot of instances the value of the advice we give may not be immediately obvious or recognised for some time.

During this year the Operations group has looked in depth at some key priorities; dredging requirements, vegetation management, safety at locks, and more latterly reviewing a joint project with the Environment Agency looking at best practise for Strong Stream Warning signs and customer prompts.

On Dredging – we looked in detail at how the Trust approaches decisions on dredging priorities, the challenges (both technical and financial) it faces and how it tries to balance the decisions made. We were impressed with the level of technical complexity being managed and pleased to see that the Trust already had a well-financed, long term plan and was implementing a tougher test for waterway lengths being classed as of acceptable depth. We have a sub group which is looking at prioritising and highlighting areas of attention or where adjustment is needed for the dredging plan.

On vegetation – we reviewed the tender specification, which is very comprehensive, and supported the approach. We have advised the need for an increased priority with regard to offside vegetation.

On Strong Stream notification – we are generally positive about the proposals that were being proposed and remain closely involved as the trials are undertaken.

Where needed we have formed sub groups to look as specific issues in greater detail (these groups report back up to the entire group). In particular there is a sub group that explores issues relating to canoeists and another looking at pinch points that restrict navigation.

There is a huge breadth of topics that we can become involved in and I’m confident that we can build on this solid start to further add relevant advice that affects the decisions and directions that the Trust takes now, and in the years ahead.

As we enter our second year, among the next major topics that we will be discussing are the Minimum Safety Standards first introduced by British Waterways in 2008. The Trust wants to make sure they are fit for purpose and we look forward to being involved in the challenge of making sure that they are relevant and meet the needs of both the Trust and waterway users. There is a lot to do and we have only just begun!

I would urge anybody who is interested to look at the Trust website where we post our minutes shortly after our quarterly meetings.

Mike Annan, chair of the Licensing & Mooring group:

The Licensing & Mooring group was established when the Navigation Advisory Group first met in September 2012. It comprises of five members from a variety of boating backgrounds. The purpose of the sub group is to advise the Canal & River Trust's management on issues relation to licensing and mooring. During the last 12 months the group has ensured that its members are fully conversant with the law, policies and practices that apply to this broad area of the Trust’s management of the 2000 miles of canals and river under its guardianship.

The major pieces of work undertaken to date are the South East Visitor Mooring Review and consultation, the review of mooring on the Kennet & Avon recommended by the Local Waterways Partnership and the review of business licences which was subject to recent consultation. In addition we have given guidance on many smaller issues and these are clearly recorded in our minutes which are published on the Trust’s website.

Independent of the Trust, we have undertaken a review of the structure of leisure boat licences and we hope to persuade management that this review be the subject of wider boater consultation to enable the Trust to consider if any appropriate changes should be made to this important aspect of its charging structure. In the future, we also hope to discuss topics which affect boaters’ ability to safely moor on casual 14 day moorings. In particular we’ll be talking about things such as vegetation control, Armco or piling and mooring rings.

Water points – upgrade to meet new legislation to complete on time

By Christmas the Trust will have completed a major, half million pound, overhaul of all water points across the network to ensure compliance with new legislation. Under this legislation, which has to be complied with by 2015 at the latest, we are classed as a Private Distribution Network and covered by tougher requirements than in the past with non-compliance a criminal offence.

We surveyed water points installed before 1999 – about 1,120 out of a total of just over 1,300. Around 1,000 of these were non-compliant with these latest regulations for a few reasons; some potentially allowed water to siphon back and contaminate the water supply, others weren’t tamper proof, some needed a stop tap and a drain down valve while others didn’t have the right insulation, right type of tap or a double check valve. 

The programme of water point upgrading has been taking place over the last 18 months. All 1,000 non-compliant water points will have been either completely replaced with modern units or had their internal parts upgraded.  As well as meeting legal requirements we hope the changes will improve customer service and reduce maintenance costs.

We’ve tried to retain as many cast iron heritage water points as possible. The majority of those non-compliant (about 790 out of the 1,000) have been saved and upgraded to modern standards. Where refurbishment of heritage cast iron water points has not been possible, as was the case for 25 of them, they have been replaced with modern cast iron versions.

In a small number (about 180) of places, mainly where basic standpipes have been replaced and where there are no heritage implications, a much cheaper standard stainless steel water point unit has been installed. If we hadn't have done this the bill would have risen by over £380,000.

So because of the refurbishment and replacement programme, you might notice that some water points have changed in appearance but that will be the only practical change, other than compliance with the new requirements – the water supply is exactly the same. It’s worth noting that the new stainless steel pipes only have a single tap, as do some of the refurbished cast iron ones, whereas the old cast iron units had two outlets. However, the old twin outlet cast iron water points were controlled by a ‘T’ port valve which meant that only one side would work at any one time so it doesn’t make any practical difference whether there is one or two taps!

We’re confident that, by the time the complete upgrade is finished, the supply of water to boaters will improve (there’s less chance of cross-contamination and these new points are designed to be less likely to freeze in the winter) and ongoing maintenance costs will be less. Every single water point will also have a stop-tap meaning that, if we do have to do some repairs, we don’t have to stop the water supply to a large area.

The Navigation Advisory Group – made up of experienced boaters - recently took the opportunity to review the project and gave it their full support, recognising that it will improve services for boaters.

As with any major change like this there may be places where an installation hasn’t been done quite right. We would like to hear if you experience any difficulties with the new water points so that we can ask contractors to fix any problems as quickly as possible If you have any feedback please ring us on 0303 040 4040 or email us at customer.services@canalrivertrust.org.uk.

It’s not just water points that are being upgraded. We’re doing lots of other ‘behind the scenes’ work to sanitary station pipework to ensure that there’s even less chance of the wet stuff being cross-contaminated by another ‘dirty’ source.

Give a brick (or some concrete) to the Chesterfield Canal Trust

The title is a little misleading. The Chesterfield Canal Trust (CCT) doesn’t actually want you to send it a brick. Or concrete. But it would greatly appreciate a donation so that it can continue rebuilding Staveley Town Lock.

Even better would be showing your loved one just how much you do love them this Christmas by donating a cubic metre of concrete to CCT. Don’t worry, they’ll receive a certificate from CCT enabling them to show their friends that they’re immortalised in the foundations of the lock!

Habitat hunters

Usually we ask you to go out and tell us all about the creatures you spot by our inland waterways. This year though, we're doing something a bit different. We’d like you to tell us about our waterway habitats.

You’ll know from cruising around that canals and rivers offer a really diverse selection of habitats for wildlife. They help flora and fauna to thrive and whether they're green corridors through urban landscapes or found in remote, rural locations they all support many different species.

So, in order to protect the wildlife on, in and around our waterways we need to know what we've got where in far more detail than we already do. We want to create a 'habitat map' of our canals and rivers. All you need to do is, when you’ve moored up somewhere, build up a picture of that bit of canal with our online survey or app.

If you’re reading this then I’m pleased to tell you that you already have the tools to take part in the survey! Over on the Great Nature Watch Survey page you’ll see that you can enter all the necessary information. If you’re equipped to do so, you can also download a smartphone app for either Android or Apple devices.

We hope you can help!

Bits and Bobs

A bit like those increasingly popular 60 second news snippets, below you’ll find a brief digest of other news…

• Even if you had missed previous announcements, you can’t have missed the increasing number of Christmas displays popping up in shops. Yes, that means winter moorings are now on sale (five and three month permits). And from 1 November, those of you with a long-term mooring will also be able to buy a permit for selected visitor mooring sites if you’re planning on being away from your home mooring this winter. We ask that all boaters bear in mind that, for the few select visitor moorings where winter mooring permits are used, short -term mooring space will be reduced.
• The Association of Continuous Cruisers (ACC) has published some guidance relating to the access to healthcare as a continuous cruiser.
• As mentioned in the last edition of Boaters’ Update, Local Waterway Partnerships are now starting to finalise and publish their strategic plans for their local waterways. Both the London and South Wales & Severn Partnerships are approaching ‘launch day’ so please keep an eye on their respective webpages for more information!

Last Updated: 04 November 2013