Work Starts on Dredging of Canal Debris
Report by Erlend Barclay - 18 September 2002
A massive clean-up operation to remove around 4,000 tonnes of material dumped by floodwater in the Caledonian Canal at Dochgarroch started yesterday. British Waterways, the company which manages the canal, is to use a powerful excavator to remove the mud, rocks and rubble deposited in the waterway during the flooding on September 8. Since then, boats with a beam of more than 25 feet have been unable to travel through the affected section.
Originally the firm proposed to dredge the material from the canal bed and dump it in Loch Ness. But it emerged yesterday the plan was dropped following consultation with the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa). "We didn't tell them what they should or should not do," said a Sepa spokesman. "Our concern was that what they did didn't pose a significant threat to the environment. So we just reminded them of the laws created to protect the environment and reminded them of their duties as regards the law."
The excavator arrived on-site yesterday afternoon to begin gathering up the material and transferring it into waiting lorries. The mud will be dumped into the Longman Tip in Inverness. "As a result of the extensive flooding, rock, gravel and cobbles were washed into the basin at Dochgarroch," said canal manager Alastair Hamilton. "Emergency dredging was undertaken by British Waterways to re-open the navigation channel which, following advice from Sepa, will be disposed of into a landfill site."
But a boat owner who lived near the blocked section and frequently used the waterway criticised the decision to dump the material on land. He said: "I don't see why it couldn't be dumped in the loch. It's about 700 feet deep and it's all natural material. There's no chemicals so it wouldn't do any damage. The fact that they're going to close part of the road and take it all to the dump is going to cause a lot of disruption and use up a lot of time and money. I just don't understand it."
One lane of the main A82 road will be closed during the operation and temporary traffic lights set up. The work is expected to last between six and ten days.
