Fobney Lock moorings washed out

Upstream from the action at County Weir (see today's previous post), the River Kennet was high enough to swamp the canal boat moorings below Fobney Lock.

Approaching Fobney Pumping Station.

High level on the gauge.

The pillars of the metal mooring platform are just visible.

Looking downstream towards Reading...

...and back to the bridge.  At more normal levels there is often a small spit of land by the bridge pillar, favoured by fishermen, which provides an access point at the end of the last independent stretch of the river which rejoins the Navigation here.

RBFRS WRU training at County Weir

The current water levels on the Kennet provided Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) with optimum conditions for the Caversham-based Water Rescue Unit (WRU) to practice at County Weir in Reading today.

Practising recovery from the top of the weir:

'Stranded' on the lip of the weir...

...retreived from upstream by a tethered rescuer...

...and returned to the bank above the weir.  Note the barrages across the river in the background.  It is apparently not uncommon for inebriated individuals to take a swim after trying to cross the top of these.

A managed 'swim' with a tethered rescuer:

Going...

...going,...

...gone.

Note that the eddy formed by the lock river right is the best direction to swim,...

...and provides a laddered climb out just below the weir. At lower levels than today's water there can be a strong tow-back river left.

A specialist WRU inflatable sled is used for rescue from above and below hazards:

Approaching a person stranded on a hazard from above...

...and rescuing from below, having shot the weir without hitting the person to be rescued...

...before towing to the eddy.

Benham Weir potential hazards, late-February 2010

For anyone taking the riverine detour from Benham Weir down to Newbury (see the earlier post on the Middle Reach of the River Kennet), please note a couple of potential dangers at the point where the river exits the canal.

The first is the bar across the bottom of the fish ladder, should you be so tempted.  At the current water levels it's almost obscurred by the flow, but it's definitely still there.

It's easy enough to just shoot the main weir.  Subject to inspection, the second gap from the left is probably the best choice, as it will take you away from the centre, where it's still shallow enough to support plant growth on micro islands below the weir, and away from the heavier flow out from the right hand sluice.  Alternatively, climbing over the tow-path and putting in on the ditch stream to the left of the fish pass should be relatively easy.  In either case you will still need to cross the turbulence from the main sluiced outflow to proceed downstream.

The fish pass wasn't designed for paddlers and includes a steel bar across the bottom.

The view downstream from the left of the weir.

If you opt to put in downstream of the weir it's probably safer to pass to the right of the old concrete pillbox, as it's footings to the left continue to to be undermined by the action of the water flowing out of the main sluice.

The flow out from the main sluice at the right of the weir...

...continues to erode the footings of the platform around the pillbox.

Winter water at Padworth Mill

With the lower reach of the riverine Kennet showing some raised levels at the weekend, Padworth Mill, near Aldermaston Wharf, was demonstrating a marked increase in flow since the summer and autumn levels of 2009.

From the sluices and weir at the top of the Padworth Stream (the southern-most channel that by-passes the private properties above its left bank):

October 2009...

...and January 2010.

These levels will definitely be adding some more trees to the waterway, so recces would be sensible.

The main channel's sluice-fed in-flow to the right of the fish ladder (January 2010)...

...whilst everything looks peaceful above the sluices of the main channel.

Snow flow at Swallowhead Springs

The rain of Saturday 16th January 2010 cleared most of the remaining snow from the Kennet Valley, and, although an Environment Agency 'flood watch' alert had been removed by just after midday on the following day, the upper reach of the river at Swallowhead Springs was showing some good water levels in the Sunday sunshine...

Silbury Hill hiding in the background to the fecundity of the river that dictated its location.

The stepping stones from the lower field stile are rendered obsolete by the heightened flow from the northern winterbournes...

...and the sping itself is seen to be contributing a steady outflow from its chalk hill basin.

A little further downstream the effects of the improved flow from the 'source' are evidenced by comparison with the pictures previously posted in description of the Upper Kennet...

Above Overton Bridge, with the 'river course naturalisation' works just visible in the distance.  When I previously fell over the edge of the bridge here I bruised my hand grabbing the wooden fence (in the left of the image), but landed on the bank. It would have been a lot wetter today.

The willows at George Bridge have too much to drink...

...as the river has spread to show its potential.