The wet and windy, with occasional snow, 2019/2020 thread

[popeyewhite]

Big E 118 said:

. Levels unseen before by our neighbour who has lived (and farmed) here for 70 years.

Means nothing in the context of actual climate fluctuation. 500 years ago we were in the middle of a mini ice age, in Roman times there was a period where our summers were as warm as Southern Europe and the British grape flourished. Cold/Hot, Cold/Hot etc etc. There is climate change undoubtedly, and we've been in a warming period for the last 400 odd years. It's very likely there will be another ice age... but what your neighbour has seen is only contextually relevant to his lifetime, in the context of planetary climate change it means nothing. Don't get me started on how rivers change their course over time, marshes are created from deltas etc etc. The biggest river Britain ever had doesn't even exist anymore.

[DomesticM]

Drove past this earlier. No idea how they’re gonna get that out!

[warch]

Digga said:

warch said:

Digga said:

And yet the EA cut back routine dredging and maintenance...

Most rivers were never dredged. Dredging is very bad for the ecology anyway and doesn't always solve flooding, often moving an issue further downriver. It is much better and safer to hold water on the land, which is historically what flood plains and water meadows have done. The problem is the sheer amount of rain we've had this winter, the ground is saturated and can't accept any more.

bks.

Look at most of the flooded out farmers on twitter and you will see their comments regarding the EA not dredging and maintaining watercourses.

The argument about damage to ecology is lunatic. How do you think fish fare once they swim out of rivers and get stranded as water levels drop? How much damage is done when large volumes of undredged silt eventually get displaced by the force of water?

Farmers usually complain about red tape and restrictions to farming practice. They also rarely see (or care about) the bigger picture which is that efficient drains and fast flowing rivers are what causes a lot of really dangerous storm surges. The best thing to do is to hold water on the land and release it gradually back into the watercourses.

There are lots of other things living within a riverine ecosystem than just fish. Although if you kill off all the other stuff you won't even have any fish.

[RicksAlfas]

DomesticM said:

Drove past this earlier. No idea how they’re gonna get that out!

As an avid viewer of Gold Rush, I would use a massive rusty chain, a huge excavator or bulldozer and a lot of swearing.

[Blib]

RicksAlfas said:

As an avid viewer of Gold Rush, I would use a massive rusty chain, a huge excavator or bulldozer and a lot of swearing.

O/T.

Absolutely! Bring on the 720 excavator!!! One of my favourite shows. Been watching it since Parker was in nappies.

I'm pretty good at guessing the weigh-ins at the end of each episode.

[RizzoTheRat]

RicksAlfas said:

DomesticM said:

Drove past this earlier. No idea how they’re gonna get that out!

As an avid viewer of Gold Rush, I would use a massive rusty chain, a huge excavator or bulldozer and a lot of swearing.

If only it had some kind of powerful winch system fitted to it...


(I guess there are probably reasons for not using it without the boom extended)

[andym1603]

PositronicRay said:

Ferries aren't self righting. It only takes a load to shift!

I reckon there would be a few loads shifting on that.

[Digga]

warch said:

Digga said:

warch said:

Digga said:

And yet the EA cut back routine dredging and maintenance...

Most rivers were never dredged. Dredging is very bad for the ecology anyway and doesn't always solve flooding, often moving an issue further downriver. It is much better and safer to hold water on the land, which is historically what flood plains and water meadows have done. The problem is the sheer amount of rain we've had this winter, the ground is saturated and can't accept any more.

bks.

Look at most of the flooded out farmers on twitter and you will see their comments regarding the EA not dredging and maintaining watercourses.

The argument about damage to ecology is lunatic. How do you think fish fare once they swim out of rivers and get stranded as water levels drop? How much damage is done when large volumes of undredged silt eventually get displaced by the force of water?

Farmers usually complain about red tape and restrictions to farming practice. They also rarely see (or care about) the bigger picture which is that efficient drains and fast flowing rivers are what causes a lot of really dangerous storm surges. The best thing to do is to hold water on the land and release it gradually back into the watercourses.

There are lots of other things living within a riverine ecosystem than just fish. Although if you kill off all the other stuff you won't even have any fish.

Farmers are not always wrong though.

To quote someone on Twitter:

"Environment Agency is blaming climate change!! What a load of bulls**t

if they spent some money on dredging and tree clearing along the river’s the problem would be halved!! where I live there are trees falling in the river and trees growing in the middle on silt banks"

It's a fair point.

[RicksAlfas]

RizzoTheRat said:

If only it had some kind of powerful winch system fitted to it...


(I guess there are probably reasons for not using it without the boom extended)

I did think that, but what would you fasten it to? I feel the nearest lamp post or sturdy tree might not be sufficient!
Where as a nice Caterpillar D10 (82 tonnes) or Volvo EC750 (75 tonnes) would be more than up to the job.

[Digga]

I see your puny EC750 and rise you, the all new EC950:



Utter beast.

[RicksAlfas]

Apologies for the off topic everyone!

Apt username Digga.

[GetCarter]

Digga said:

I see your puny EC750 and rise you, the all new EC950:



Utter beast.

That is a FAB pic. Hope it's yours... bit of work you'll make some cash from it ;0)

[Puggit]

Warning published today, as per FiF. Peak river level for Tewkesbury will be later this week.

[p1stonhead]

Putting flooding aside for a second, is it going to get cold this winter at all?

It’s been ridiculously mild!

[bolidemichael]

Mort7 said:

FiF said:

Re above post about aholes driving through floodwater, an example. Thanks.

Yep, far too fast. But he does have a snorkel fitted so the vehicle will be fine.

Edited by Mort7 on Monday 17th February 12:53

On the drove oop Norf yesterday, I noticed an unusual number of Ford Rangers on the motorway. Their lane discipline is bad but Imma not hating on their ass.

[Digga]

GetCarter said:

Digga said:

I see your puny EC750 and rise you, the all new EC950:



Utter beast.

That is a FAB pic. Hope it's yours... bit of work you'll make some cash from it ;0)

Not my pic, Volvo's own press release picture. Lovely shot.

[Puggit]

p1stonhead said:

Putting flooding aside for a second, is it going to get cold this winter at all?

It’s been ridiculously mild!

This is helping to drive the current weather. Cold has remained locked up around the pole, it's been pretty warm at our latitude. When they rub together they help drive the jetstream which helps develop low pressure.

[Alucidnation]

Sophisticated Sarah said:

Digga said:

GetCarter said:

rjg48 said:

We were warned that Global Warming would lead to rivers running dry by 2030.

We were (and still are) being warned that winters would be warmer and wetter.

And yet the EA cut back routine dredging and maintenance...

This plus the bush fires may be related to climate change, but the results are more severe due to the lack of preventive action.

Plus stty housing estates being built taking up valuable land that once used to take a lot of the water we are seeing now, so i don't agree that this is just down to climate change.

Anyhoo, there is a gazillion page thread on all that bks.

[Digga]

Alucidnation said:

Plus stty housing estates being built taking up valuable land that once used to take a lot of the water we are seeing now, so i don't agree that this is just down to climate change.

Near us, the runoff from new builds is IMHO insrumental in exacerbating localised issues.

[eharding]

Digga said:

Not my pic, Volvo's own press release picture. Lovely shot.

Yes - stunning.

Those beautiful, rolling low hills, burbling brooks, wildflowers and songbirds. All dug up to buggery and put in the back of a dumper truck. Lovely.