Union Canal In-House Spot Dredging Case Study

During 2014, a number of boaters had pointed out to SC operational staff that there were high spots of sediment in the Union Canal that their boats were scraping into, making navigation difficult. These complaints were combined with data from a dipping survey in the Union Canal completed by volunteers, which supported these complaints. The survey highlighted the same areas as not meeting the advertised MOC for the Union Canal (1.07m). No entirely failing lengths were identified on the Union Canal, so line dredging was not required. As the sediment is concentrated in high spots, spot dredging was determined to be most suitable. Read more in the downloadable PDF…

Forth & Clyde Canal In-House Spot Dredging Case Study

In spring/ summer 2014 a number of boaters had highlighted to SC operational staff that their boats were scraping into high points of sediment at a number of sites along a 2 kilometre stretch of the Forth & Clyde Canal. These high spots of sediment were noted from Devil’s Elbow, 500 metres west of Auchinstarry Marina, through to Twechar Bridge (Bridge 17), taking in sites through Strone Point. This stretch of the Forth & Clyde Canal has a history of sediment build-up due to a number of streams entering the canal in this area, combined with a low flow of water and a number of tight bends, meaning sediment enters the canal, and is not moved away by the water, allowing it to build up around the tight bends. Read more in the downloadable PDF…