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• Environment Agency superseded National Rivers Authority in 1996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)