BARRAGE IN ESTUARY

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30559, 30 September 1964, Page 18

BARRAGE IN ESTUARY

Possible Effect On Beach | The correct placing of a barrage in the Estuary might build up the Sumner beach again, said the engineering consultant to the Christa church Drainage Board (Mr H. G. Royds), answering questions about the objects of the barrage at a meeting last evening of interested organisations called by the Canterbury Progress League to discuss the development of the Estuary. All sorts of interlocking things were going to be studied in the Estuary model at Wallingford. Essex, he said. There was no Question, he said, of keening the water at half-tide. The barrage was purely for use in times of storm coinciding with spring tides. It was hoped to lower the drainage coming into the Estuary by 18in to 2ft. This did not seem much, but it meant that drains in low country would be able to carry a lot more water. On an average, said Mr Royds, the barrage would not have to be used more than tnree or four times a year. In the last year such a barrage would not have been used once.

“The idea, then, would be to close the gates at low tide to preserve the holding area to receive the flood,” he said.. “When the tide became low enough again, the barrage would be opened to let the water out.”

Mr Royds said that it would be at least two years before the results of study of the Wallingford model would be available.