29/7/2007
The Jubilee River - facts and truth.
I have highlighted
those elements that the Environment
Agency would rather you did not know!
- Scheme conceived in the 1980's
- Initially known as MWEFAS (Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton
Flood Alleviation Scheme)
- Scheme went to Public Inquiry in October 1992 - held at
Reading in Berkshire.
- Scheme permitted in 1995
-
River Thames dredging (for flood defence purposes) ceased in 1995
- Largest flood alleviation scheme in the country
-
Was MWEFAS a
green belt gravel digging scheme in disguise?
- Built to protect Windsor, Eton and Maidenhead
- Channel takes floodwater out of Thames at Maidenhead
- Channel returns floodwater to Thames at Datchet
- Environment Agency superseded National Rivers Authority
in 1996
- Environment Agency are responsible for flood defence
-
Scheme incomplete (just the bit in the middle) due to cost/benefit
calculations
- Seven miles long, 50m wide, started 1995, opened 2002 and
named Jubilee River
- £110m, world class, award winning scheme
-
Fell apart on first use - January 2003 - almost every structure damaged
- Jubilee River
saved 500 homes in Maidenhead from flooding
-
The Jubilee River was mis-operated by Environment Agency
-
Mandatory flow recording devices disabled
-
Floodwater was re-directed onto defenceless villages downstream of Windsor
-
Upstream attenuation by-passed
-
Floodwater just moved from one place to another
-
Hundreds of homes flooded for first time since 1947
-
Jubilee River flooded land in Datchet that should have been defended
-
Environment Agency failed to install pumps in accordance with plan
-
Floodwater directed via undefended open cut into centre of Datchet village
-
Taplow flow control built without 'stilling basin'
-
Manor Farm Weir designed 'back-to-front'
-
Slough Weir downstream protection washed off (£0.6m to repair)
-
Established freshwater mussel population destroyed during Slough Weir
repairs
-
Myrke embankment almost collapsed (£1.3m to repair)
-
Jubilee River still unable to carry design capacity of 215 cumecs
-
£2.75m out-of-court settlement agreed
-
Taplow embankment sub-standard and currently awaiting repair (£1.4m)
I am interested in receiving your views (please be brief and
precise with your ideas)
