Ouse Washes: Middle Level Barrier Bank Raising Works

The Middle Level Barrier Bank is the bank of the Ouse Washes reservoir extending from Earith to Welmore  Lake Sluice. The work we are doing is to comply with recommendations made by the reservoir Inspecting  Engineer to complete the works under the Reservoir Act 1975. 

Progress 
The bank raising works started again on 15th July. The weather has once again had an impact on the  progress of works with the heavy downpours during July and the start of August which has stopped work  and caused some flooding on the haul road. This weather has resulted in having no deliveries of material  to site some days as the ground becomes slippery and too dangerous for our staff to work on. Covid 19  has also slowed progress due to the shortage of plant availability from our suppliers and staff isolation. At  this stage in the programme we still expect to complete the bank works this year. 

The site working hours will remain the same – 7am – 6pm Mon – Fri and 7am – 1pm on Saturdays. Dates and timings are dependent on the progress of the bank works and does not take into account any disruption caused by spells of bad weather. As always, we will keep you up to date of any changes. 

Deliveries 
As the bank works continue at Welney from the railway bridge towards the A1101 the available room on  the haul road becomes restricted for two-way traffic. To ensure that the deliveries can enter, turnaround  and leave the site safely we have installed temporary two-way traffic lights on the A1101 at the Welney  

bridge. Traffic Marshalls will be in attendance to ensure the safety of the general public and site deliveries.  The traffic lights will be in operation until mid-September, a little longer than we expected due to the  bank work delay. 

Virtual exhibition room extended 
Our virtual exhibition room has been extremely popular, and we have decided to keep the room live for longer. The room provides an alternative way for community members and interested parties to find out  more about the project and next steps. This virtual room includes a video, animations of how the Ouse  

Washes Flood Storage Reservoir works and how the demountable flood barrier at Welney will be constructed. 

Here’s the link to the virtual room http://eaousewashesbanks.co.uk/ which will remain open until 31st August 2021. 

Thank you to everyone who has visited and provided valuable feedback. 

Public footpath and bridleway access 

Middle Level Barrier Bank – where it is closed. 

• A142, Mepal to Welches Dam 

• Welches Dam to railway bridge 

• Welney to railway bridge 

Diversions and closures are clearly signposted 

Environment 
We are working towards our carbon net zero target by 2030. HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) is a premium, high quality diesel fuel  made from renewable, sustainable raw materials, which do not release  any new CO2 into the atmosphere. HVO is renewable, sustainable and high quality, making it perfectly suited for a wide range of applications including vehicles, generators and industrial power systems. This year we are using HVO in all our site plant, machinery, and generators. This will reduce the projects CO2 emissions by approximately 90%. Our contractor has installed solar panels at our site office at Welches Dam which are generating all the electricity needed at this site as well as contributing the excess energy to the grid. 

Other works in the Ouse Washes area 
As part of the Winter 2020 Recovery Programme we will be undertaking essential work within the Ouse Washes area. 

Sutton Gault and Jolly Bankers 
Our contractors (Breheny) will carry out maintenance work on the flood gates at Sutton Gault and Jolly  Bankers which form part of the Middle Level Barrier Bank. The works involve replacing the rubber seals  and closing mechanisms to the gates. To be able to do this work they will need to lift the gates out from  their current position. 

This process will cause some disruption to the traffic along the Sutton Gault Causeway while we lift the  gates out and again when we lift them back in. We anticipate this disruption to be no longer than 15  minutes. Information will be provided to local residents along Bury Lane and Long North Fen Drove, by  letter, before the works start. 

They will start the work in September 2021 and will take approximately 10 days to complete. Mepal 

While our team is carrying out the bank raising work, they will also install an area of hardstanding located  near the A142 at Mepal. This will allow us to bring in high volume pumps in an emergency, allowing us to  pump water from the Counter Drain over the Middle Level Barrier Bank into the reservoir. We will also be adding some erosion protection to the Middle Level Barrier Bank where the pipes will go over the bank to discharge the pumped water into the reservoir. 

We are working with the reservoir engineer and Natural England to gain assent for the construction work and have carried out area and ecological surveys. 

This work is programmed to start in the Autumn 2021. 

Welney 
Breheny are also carrying out some maintenance work on the Low Bank north of Welney.

Contact us 
If you have any questions or concerns about this  project, please contact our Public Liaison Officer:  Monica Stonham via email: ousewashesprojectea@gmail.com

Press release from The Ouse Washes Project